2012 VOLKSWAGEN GOLF Owners Manual

Removing wax residue
Automatic car washes and vehicle care products
can leave a wax residue on glass surfaces.
T hese wax residues can only be removed with
special cleane rs or clean ing clo ths. Wax residue
left on the wind shie ld can cause the windshield
wipe rs to grab and squeak instead
of
cloth.
Windshie ld wiper squeak and grab can be
reduced
by the winds hield washer fluid tank with a
wiper
fr om yo ur auth orized Volkswagen dealer and au­
thorized Volkswagen For the re­
moval of wax residue, Volkswagen recom mends
the cleaners:
For the warmer months, Windscreen Clear 184 A 1 or equivalent . Mixing ra tio (1 part concentra te to
(-18 about 1:2 (1 part conce ntrat e to 2 parts water) , oth­
erwise mixing ra tio 1 :4 in windshie ld washer reser­
voir .
Window cleaning cloths I ch amois
G 522 A 1 or equ iva le nt for windows an d
outside mirrors.
Removing snow
Rem ove snow from windows and outside mir­
rors with an appropria te br ush .
Removing ice
Th e best way to remov e ice is wi
th a deice r sp ray. When using an ice scraper always scrap e in on e
direct ion , never bac k and forth . D irt can scratch
the glass when moving t he sc ra per backward .
WARNING
Dirty or fogged up windows re duce visibility and incre ase the risk of accidents and seve re
injuries .
Don't drive until you have clear visibility th rough all windows.
Never mix recommend ed cleaning agents
with other cleaning agents in the windshield
washer
Never use warm or hot water to remove snow and ice from windows and mirrors. This could cause the gla ss to crackl
The heating elements for the rear defroster are on the inside of the rear window. Do not put stickers over the heating elements on the in­side of the rear window and never clean the in­side of the windows with corrosive or acidic cleaning agents or other chemic als that could damage the heating element s.
Antenna s installed on the insides of win­dows can be damaged by abra sive objects or by corrosive or acidic cleaning agents or other chemicals . Do not place any stickers on the windshield-integrated antenna and never clean
the antenna with corrosive or acidic cleaning
agents or other ch emicals.

on page 243.
F ac tory
-installed wiper blades have a graphite
coating. The graphite coating lets the wiper blades
glide smoothly over the windshield.
wiper blades regularly. Wiper blades
that grab and squeak must be r ep laced if worn or
damaged and cleaned if dirty
Replace worn or damaged wiper blades immedi­
ate ly . Replacement blades may be purchased from
any authorized Volkswagen dealer or autho
rized
Volkswagen
Lifting and
Us ing a soft remove dust and
dirt from the wiper blades.
Changing the wiper on the windshield
Lift and tilt the wiper arm(s) away from the
windsh ield I rear window.
Press and hold the release button 135 and the wipe r blade off in th e direction of the arrow.
N
N
Fig . 136 Changi ng the rear window wipe r blades .
Push a new wiper blade of the same length
and type onto the wiper arm until it la tches.
Lower the arm back down on the windshield.
Changing the rear window wiper
Lift and
Pres s and hold the release button 136
While tilt in g the wiper blade in the direction of the wipe r arm 136 (arrow @),
abrasive sponges and sharp­edged objects
Vehicle care and maintenance 247

Waxing and
on page 243.
Waxing
A good coat of wax helps to protect the vehicle
p aint. Wh en water no lo nger for m s drops and
runs off w hen th e pain t is clean , apply a new coat
o f good hard wax to protec t the vehicle agai n.
E ven
if a wax solution is used regula rly at the car
was h, Volkswagen recommends applying a coat of hard wax at least twice a year to protect the paint.
Polishing
Polis h yo ur veh ic le if t h e pain t has lost its shin e
and th e gloss canno t be brought bac k with wax . T
he
vehicle must be waxed after polishing if the
po lish use d does not contain wax compounds to
sea l
the pai nt.
on matte-finished parts, plastic
parts,
your vehicle if it is dirty, or in a sandy or dusty plac e. Caring for and
tory information and heed the WARN ­on page 243 .
Clean the surface using a clean , soft , lint -fr ee
th e s urface is
To help prevent damage to chrome and alumi­
num parts :
on page 243.
Cleaning steel wheels
Stubborn brake dust can be re m ov ed wi th an in ­
d u strial cleane r.
in direct
d irty surfaces .
products.

Use an acid-free detergent
page 243.
The rubber seals around the doors and windows
on page 243.
Volkswagen recommends using only ge nuine Volkswagen deicer spray with lubricating and anti­
corrosive properties to deice door lock cylinders.
Undercoating
on page 243.
The vehicle underbody
is coated to help protect it
from " corrosion and damage . The undercoating
co uld be damaged during normal use. We there­
fore recommend that you have the protective coat­
ings on the underbody and suspension inspected
regularly , and repa ired if necessary .
Cleaning the engine compartment
on page 243.
The engine compartment of a vehicle is a danger­
ous area
cleaning procedures could remove corrosion pro -
Before apply ing the treatment, use a soft to remove dust and dirt from the rubber seals.
Lock deicers that contain grease solvents can
cause the lock cylinder to rust.
Undercoating and ru stproofing products can catch fire on the hot exhaust system or any other hot engine component.
the exhaust pipes, the catalyti c convert­er, the heat shields, or any other hot vehic le component.
tection and damag e elec trica l components , among
other things. addition, water could enter directly
into the vehicle interior through the plenum cham­
ber
Facility.
Vehicle care and maintenance 249

Plenum chamber
The plenum chamber is located in the engine com­
partment between windshi eld and engine , under a
perfo r
ated cover. Outside air is taken into the vehi­
c le interio r fro m t he plenum ch amber via the cli ­
m ate control system.
R eg u
larly remove leaves and oth er loo se objec ts
f r o m t he plenum ch am ber cover by hand or wit h a
vacu um cleane r .
scalding, accident and fire haza rds
can occur while working on the engine or in
the engine compartment!
Volkswagen recommends having the work performed by an authorized Volkswagen deal­er or authorized Volkswagen Service Facility.
Spraying
or pouring water (e.g . with power
washer) into the plenum chambe r can cause
severe damage to the vehicle .
Wash the engin e com partment on ly in spec ial wash bays so that the oily d irt and fue l res i­
due tha t are washed off the vehicle

find information about:
Ca ring for
uphols tery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 252
Cleaning upholstery , fabric trim and
A lc an tara ® . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 252
Care
and
f abrics such as dark denim may
not be comp lete ly colorfast. Even with normal use,
dye from these
and other fabrics can rub off on
sea t uphols tery and leave visible discolorations
of colorfastness in the fabric, not by any fault in the seat upholstery fabric. To prevent damage to the seat upholstery, ways make sure you r
it may be to them. stains , dirt and deposi ts are time , th ey may become impossible to remove .
More information:
Exterior care a nd clea ning 243
accessories , repairs and modifi cati ons
V e hi cle care products can be dangerous.
soning, or other severe injuries.
the instructions
and
nents according to m anufacturer's tions.
Stains , dirt and other deposits that contain aggressive substance s or solvents can corrode vehicle material s and cause perman ent age, even after brief contact with the surface.
To help prevent damage, have stubborn stain s remo ved by a profe ssional who has the
neces sary expertise and experience.
thorized Volkswag en deale rs and authorized
Volkswagen Service Facilities.
Vehi cle care and maintenance 251

on
when it comes to the care and preservat ion of the
fasteners can damage fabric , and trim. Before you get into the fasteners that come into contact with fabrics and trim .
objects and items on and (such as and fabric tr im . To prevent damage ,
do not such items come into direct conta ct with the uphols tery and fabric trim .
Dust and dirt in pores , and seams can have a "scouring " effect on and to
Check to prevent upholstery discoloration , to upholstery.
Disregarding the may of
recommends having any oration re moved by an authorized gen or authorized cili ty . fabric trim and
on page 251.
on heated seats and power seats or seats with airbag components
Airbag components and connector s may be in the driver seat, the front passenger
seat , and in the outer rea r sea ts. Damaging, ing and handling incorrectly , or wett ing or soaki ng
t hese seat surfaces and back rests can d am age the
v ehic le sys te m and preve nt the airba g
sys tem from working
compone nt s a nd conn ectors that or are in powe r sea ts and heated sea ts Thi s ca n in damage to other parts of the sys te m .
For thi s r easo n, read and these clea ning
maintenance
Do not use press ure washers , steam
Do not use detergent pastes or
Do not wet the surface
use cleaning products approved by wagen .
you h ave questions or concerns, consult a
p ro fessiona l clea ner.
Bef ore usi ng any cleanin g agen t, fami liar ize
yo urs elf wit h instruct ions and warnings on the
packag ing.
hol stery, a nd carpeting with a brush attachment.
A soft sponge or a may be used for general
Alcantara ® surfaces with a damp cotton
or o r a lint -fre e
microfiber

Upholstery and fabric trim with ligh t gene ra lized
soil ing can be cleaned with a co mme rcially b le dry-foam cleaner.
t he upho lstery fabric and fabric trim pieces are
heavi ly soiled , see your authorized
dealer or authorized
necessary, have the cleaning
do ne by a professional.
Cleaning upholstery on non-heated seats, manual seats, or seats w ithout airbag
components
Before using any cleaning agent, familiarize
yourse lf with instruct ions and warni ngs on the
packaging .
upholstery, fabric trim, Alca ntara ® holstery , and carpeting regula rly with a sui table
b rush attachment.
A soft sponge or a commercially available free microfiber cloth may be used for general
clea nin g
Clean Alcantara ® surfaces with a damp cotton
or woo l cloth or a commercially available lint-free
microfiber cloth
Upholstery and fabric trim with light gene ra lized can be c leaned wit h a comme rcia lly
the uphols tery fabric and fabric trim pie ces are
heavi ly soiled , see your authorized
dealer or authorized Facility
before you begin cleani ng to learn about suitable
c leaning options .
necessary , h ave the cleaning
done by a profess ional.
Removing stains
When treating stains, it may be necessary to clean
t h e ent ir e su rface and not jus t the stain itse lf. This
is especially true if the entire su rface has become
d irty from normal use. Otherw ise , the a rea that is
t reated may become lighter than the untreated
a rea . you have qu es tions or concerns , co nsu lt a
p ro fessiona l c leaner .
Typ e
of sta in Recommended cleaning for fabri c and upholstery
Water-based stains, such as -Moisten a sponge with water and rub the stain gently with a circular coffee or fruit juice . tion. -Wipe dry with an absorbent clot h.
Persisten t stains , such as
c h ocolate or make-up. -
Use only Volkswagen -approved clea ning produc ts. -necessary, have the fabric or uphols tery profess io na lly cleaned.
Grease-based stains , such as oil , lipst ick , etc. -
Use only Volksw agen-approved clea nin g prod ucts. -
Hav e the airbag syste m inspecte d
w age n deale r or auth oriz e d V olkswag en
Do not u se steam cleaners becau se the
s te am could ca use the dirt to pen etrate deeper into the fa bri c a nd make i t impossible
Pressure wa shers a nd cooling spray s ca n
d am ag e the uphols tery.