2012 VOLKSWAGEN GOLF maintenance

Top speed rating and tire inflation pressure for V winter tires depend on the engi ne in your
veh icle . Be sur e t o ask you authorized Volkswagen
de ale r or authorize d Volkswagen Faci lity
abo ut the maxim um permissible speed and the quired tire inflation pressure for the winte r tire s tha t
you plan to use.
Driving faster than the maximum speed for which the winter tires on your vehicle were designed can cause sudden tire failure cluding a blowout and sudden
mum speed.
tory information and heed the on page 258.
local regulati ons as as the
ch ains improve forward motion , tractio n and
b rak ing characteristics under wintry conditions .
chai ns may be use d only on the front wheels . chains may be used only in the lowing tire and wheel combinations:
Tire dimensions Rim
205 /55 R 16 6
J x 16 ET
R 17a) 6 J x 17 ET 48 .5
Use only chains with low links that are not thicke r
than
about
app ropr iate wheel , tire and snow ch ai n
possi ble, u se only chains with low links that are not thicker than 37/ 64 in (15 mm ) including the tensioner.
Remove center hubcap s
and decorative rim rings
be fore s n ow chains Howeve r, fo r
safe ty reasons, caps must be on the
summer tires in the spr ing. tires off er better ha ndling is tics for temperatures above +45 (+ 7 They
are qu ieter, do not wear as quickly , and reduce fuel
consumption.
veh icles with a Tire Pressu re Mo nit or ing the syste m mus t be reca libr ated
necessary , ask your authorized Volkswagen dealer or author ized Volkswagen F a-
ci lity about permissible winte r tir e dimensions. whee l Th ese are available from autho rized
Volkswa gen dealers an d authorized Volks wage n
Compact spare
For tec hnical reas on s, snow chains canno t be
used on the compact spare 269.
you mu st use sn ow ch a ins and have a compact
spare wheel mounted, move the compact spare
wheel to the rea r a xle if a front tire has to be
snow chains improperly can cause accidents and severe personal injuries.
ed by the snow chain manufacturer.
Vehicle care and maintenance 275

worn down.
,
chains can scratch or damage
recommends using coated snow chains. Glossary of tire and loading terminology
on
page 258.
Accessory
weight
The combined weight (in excess of
those standard items which may be
of automatic trans miss ion,
power steering ,
power brakes, po
wer w indo ws, power
seats, radio, a nd heater , to
the extent
that these items are
equipment (whethe r in­
or
indi cates a tire with a
shorter
for impro ved ste ering
response and better
on dry pavement.
Bead
The part of a tire made of wires,
wrapped or r einfo rced by
cords ,
w ith the shape and structure to en­
sure proper fit to th e
rim .
Bead separation
A breakdown of the bo nd between
components in the bead.
276 maintenance
Carcass
The tire structure, except tread and
Cord
The strands of forming the
or inner
manufacturer for a tire of a
speci
fied size that has not been driv­
en for more than a

Wheel size designation
Wheel rim diameter and width .
Occupant loading and distribution for vehicle normal load for various
designated seating capacities
Designated seating ca-Vehicle
normal load, Occupant
distribution
pacity, number of occu- number of occupants
in a normally loaded
pants
2 ,3 or 4 2
5 3
Tires and vehicle load limits
on
page 258.
There are limits to the load any
or any tire can carry . A vehicle that
is overloaded
Overloading can also lead to
blowout, sudden loss
of pressure or
other tire failure that can cause loss
of
control.
Your safety and the safety
of your
passengers depends on making sure
that load
ing capacity) with an assumed weight
of (68 kg) for each passenger
at a designated seating position and
the total weight
of any luggage in the
vehicle.
you tow a trailer, the weight
of the trailer hitch and the tongue
weight
of the loaded trailer must be
included as part
of the vehicle weight.
At altitudes above
for
every
ft m) .
The Gross Axle Weight Rating
(GAWR)
is the maximum load that
can be carried at each
of the vehicle's
2 axles (by the front or rear tires) .
GVWR and GAWR are listed on the
safety compliance
cleaning, maintenance

Engine life is influenced by how you drive the vehi­
cle for the first miles (1 ,600 km). Even after­
wards , driv ing at moderate engine speeds, espe­
tend to reduce
engine wear and help the engine to last longe r and
go farther . But do not dri ve at an excess ive ly low
engi n e speed , either . A lways downshi ft if the en­
gin e is not running smoothly . For the first
Do not use
Don't le t t he engine speed get above 2/3 the
max imum speed.
Do not tow a trailer .
Parts and accessories
on pag e 283.
Volkswagen recomme nds that you consult an au­
tho
rized Vol kswagen dealer or authoriz ed Volkswa­
gen Service Facility before purchas ing accesso ­
ries, spare parts or other equipment. Always do so
i f you want to
on page 283.
Operating fluids and parts that wear out w ith use (such as timing belts, tires , engine coolants ,
engine oils, spark plugs, and vehic le batteries) are
constantly being improved . For this reason, it is im ­
portant to have operating fluids ch anged and
wear­ing parts rep laced by an au thorized Volkswage n
de ale r or authorized Volk swagen Service Facility.
Authorized Volkswagen dealers and authorized
Volkswagen Service Facilities are a lways up- to ­
date regarding new developmen
ts and ch anges .
284 cleaning , maintenance F
rom
to
New tires and rep lacing tires 258
Brakes 183
Breaking in a new engine incr ease serv ice life and reduce oil co nsump tion. Improper veh icle modifications and r e pairs
affect the performance of the airbag system and cause malfunctions and severe personal injuries.
Improper use of operating and equip­m ent can cause accidents , serious personal injuries , burns and/or poisoning.
WARNINGS on the package before us-ing vehicle care products.

When using products that give off harmful fumes, always work outdoors or in a area.
turpentine, eng ine re mover or other
The y cause fires and sions!
refill with suitab le operating fluids.
Wh en changing or topping off fluids, make sure that you pour the fluids into the correct reser-
Repairs and technical modifications
tory information and heed the on page 283 .
modifications must be
Changes to elect ronic componen ts and related
software can cause malfunctions. These
plicable emissions requirements .
Volkswa gen recommends
having repai rs a nd
te chnical modificati ons perfo rmed by an auth orized
Volkswagen dealer or auth orized Volkswagen
Service
usi ng Genuin e
approved technical modifications not be
voirs. Add ing incorrect fluids will cause ous malfunctions and engine damage ! Under no circumstances should you mix up operating
flu ids. Otherwise serious malfunction s and gine damage can occur!
ciency of the engine coolant. Th e e ngine can
ov erheat under high outside temperatures or under high engine loads!
Leak ing operating fluids can ronment. Collect leaki ng ope rating fluids in
suitab le contai ners and dispose of them proper ly in
accordance with applica ble envi ron men tal laws
and regulations .
tions can cause vehicle damage and tions, and can impair the efficiency of driver assistance systems. This can to dents and seve re personal injuries.
deal er or
an authorized Servic e
Improperly performed repairs and tions can cause increased component wear
and result in vehicle emissions that no longer
meet requirem ents.
Repairs and other things that can affect Advanced Airbag performance
Please first read and note th e tory information and heed the on page 283 .
Repairs and mod ifications of front bumpers , doo rs ,
f r on t seats, headliners and the chassis can affec t
prop er ai r
bag perfor mance and sh o uld be fo rmed by a n author ized dealer or au- thorized
Service
Fac ility . These are as can conta in important parts of the airbag
system .
care and maintenance

for various airbags ,
and safety
These
is ed to da ta (no sound is recorded). a
recorded over a very ited period of time, or stored when a system of the data
stored may
with
Using a
on page 283.
"radiofrequency ener­gy" (RF energy), both when they are being used
and when they are in standby mode. Current sci­
entific
can h ave effects on the human
body . Limits and have been by com­
mittees in an effort to keep the elect romagnetic ra­
diation from
phones at However , there is no sci­
the When using a withou t a p rop­er connect ion to an integrated antenna , the be higher than when using the
antenna.
Your
permit many of the fea­
tu res of ephones to be used for greater convenience and is
cons istent with the
withou t some kind of hands-f ree de­
vice .
T he hands-free system in your
tooth ® that is de­
signed to fit your The advantages : The ph one era-
288 maintenance die
must be
attached to the instrumen t and is within reach at
phone to the vehi­
connected to the integrated or oth er out ­
side th e per­
with out a the phone attached to the not be ch a rg ­
ed through the wiring, and more importantly integrated ephone antenna . The migh t expe rie nce more drop­
ped o f the
connec tion .
Therefo re we
recommend that you use
you r
attac hed to an app ro pri ate on the in str umen t
for
to use .
is a registered tradem ark of
A phone on the seat, instrument can b e thrown around the in­side of the
occupants.

Consumer information
this section find information about:
. . . . . . . 292
Volkswagen service informatio n 293
More information:
Exterior views 6
assis tan ce systems 195
Parts , accessories, repairs and modificat io n s
Warranty and Maintenance
.
legal requirement s.
Stickers and labels
on page 291.
Factory
-installed safety certificates, stickers and
s ign s co ntaining importa nt information regarding
vehicle operation can be found in th e engine partment and on certain vehicle componen ts, such as insid e the fuel flap , on the passenger sun
visor, in the driver door jamb or on the luggage
compartmen t floor .
Do not remove, alter or render unusable or legible any safe ty certificates , stickers and labels .
cates, stickers, or
forming certificates , stickers, or to the same
part of the new compone nts.
requirement s.
tions in the and nance.
Manual and heed
necessary safety standards and req uirements of t h e traffic safety agency of the respective country were met. The month and year of production as as the vehicle ide ntifi catio n number may be
listed as well .
Radiator fan and high voltage warning sticker
A warning sticker about the radiat or fan and the
high
<1
Vehicl e care and maintenance 291

Treadwear
The treadwear grade is a comparative ratin g based
on the wear rate of the lire when tested under
(T readwe ar-value
T he relative performance of tires depends upon
t he actual conditio ns of their use, however , and may depart significantly from the norm due to iations in driving habits, service practices and
to stop on wet pavemen t as measured under conditions on specified government test
surfaces of asphalt and concrete . A tire marked
Temperature
The temperat ure grades are A (th e highest), B,
and
e ra tio n of heat, an d its to diss ipa te hea t
w he n tested under
tory information and heed the on page 291.
introduction.
To order service information contact:
Technica l Literature Ordering Center
www. vw.techliterature .com
Sustained high temperat ure can ca use the material of the lire to degenerate and reduce tire and
excessive temperature can ure.
The grade
of p erfo rmance
which
forma nce on th e la b oratory test
The traction grade assigned to this tire is based on straight-ahead braking traction tests, and does not include acceleration,
The temperature grade for this tire is
tion or e xcess ive loading, either separately or in combination, can caus e h eat buildup and possible tire failure. performed repairs and
sonal injuries.
Mobile Phone Package
E lectro nic immobil izer.
care and maintenance 293