2012 VOLKSWAGEN GOLF lights

-Make certain that the
from the prevent damage to the paint , tires ,
and housings.
system damage that is not covered by any
th e instrum ent gauge .
you put any amount of incorrect
contact the nearest
gen Service contain substances that damage
the
fl ap . Contact an author ized
f or ass ista nce .
first read and note the tory informat ion and heed the on page 214.
Lights up Gauge position cause or meaning Proper response
Red r ange (ar ro w) tank empty . nme to
] Running on reserve 217 .
-filler cap no t and th e ca p
When the ignit ion is sw itched on, warning
and indicator
the comes on or you see a text messa ge in the inst rument ing that the sto p the
At the gas station 215

Never open or close the engine hood if To reduce th e risk of electrica l shock and steam or coolant is escaping. Hot steam or personal injury
-Never touch ignition cables. Never ant escaping from the engine. touch other components of the high
Always the eng ine down com-age electronic ignition syste m .
opening the hood.
-Never touch the wiring of the Discharge (Xenon) headlights.
system burn skin on contact.
you are read y to open the hood: Moving parts in th e engine compartment can
- Firm ly apply the parking brake a nd shift cause serious personal injury on contact. the transmission into Park (P) (automatic)
vehicles with Keyless Access, make member that the radiator fan is temperature-
s
ure that the remote contro l vehicle key is controlled and can come on sudden ly even
out of range of th e vehicle and that the ve- when the engine
has been switched off for a
hicl e cannot be started by depres sing the 44. ignition.
-
Always keep children and others away you have to perform a check or repair from the engine compartment and never when the engine is runn ing, there are more leave them unsupervised. risks from the rotating parts, such as the
hair do not get caught in
ries. rotating engine
parts. B efore starting an y
- Turn
the cap
fluids onto hot parts of the engine o r exhaust system can
cause a fire. -
Always use
extreme caution if the ac-
ce lerato r pedal has to be depressed to perform a check. The vehicle will start to move even if the parking brake i s on.
Never leave any objects in the engine compartment, for examp le cleaning rags and tools. Objects left b ehind can cause malfunc-lions, engine damage, and even fires.
High voltage sy stems in the engine com part-ment can ca use electrica l shocks or even
electrocution, severe burns, other serious in-juries, and eve n deathl
Neve r short-circuit the electrica l syste m .
B e especially ca reful when using jumper ca-
Operating fluids and some materials in the engi ne compartment can catch fire easily, causing burns an d other serious personal in-juries
Do not smoke .
b les. The
vehicle 's battery could exp lode! Never work next to open flames or sparks .
223

Engine oil
find information about:
Wa rning a
nd indicator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 227
Engin e oil specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 228
Engin e oil capac ity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 229
Checking th e engine oil level and adding oil . 229
Eng ine oil consumpt ion . . . . . . 23 0
Changing engine oil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
231
More information:
P reparations for work ing in the engine compart­
m en t 222
Parts, accessories, repairs and modi fications 283
handling of engine oil can cause vere burns and other serious injuries.
Store engine oil only in the closed original container. This also applies to used oil until disposal.
tainers that might mislead someone into drinking from them.
other operating fluids, engine oil can leaking and
sp illed operating fluids and dispose of them erly in accordance with
Please first read and note the introductory information and heed the on page 227.
Lights Possible cause Proper response up
Engine oil
leve l too low. the engine. Check the engine oil level
-
off the engine. Check the engin e lev-
el. -the warn ing light flashes although the oil lev-Engin e oil p ressure to o low . el is norm al, do not co ntinue driving or let the
engi ne idle. the engine could be damaged.
Contact an auth orize d Volkswagen dealer or an
authorized Volkswagen Facility.
Have the engine oil sensor checked by an au-
Engine oil leve l se nsor malfun ction. thorized Volksw agen dealer or an authorized --Volkswage n Faci lity.
the engine compartment 227

When the ignition is switched seve ra l warn ing
and indica tor lights come on for a function
check . They go out after a few seconds.
to break down in traffic and result in a sion and serious personal injury.
Engine
on page 227.
The engine oil used must conform to exact specifi­
cations .
Using the proper engine oil is important for the
functionality and service life
of the engine.
engine was factory-filled with a high-qua lity ,
" synthe tic "
you need to add oil between oil changes, use on­
l y a high quality oil that expressly complies with the Volksw age n oil quality sta ndard specified for your
vehic le 's engine:
Engine s Engine
oil specifi-cation
vw Ga
soline engines vw vw
At the time this Manual was printed, the engine oils
avai lab le in the U.S. that meet these Volkswagen
standards are "syn thetic" oils. Th is does not mean,
howe ver, that any "synthetic " engine oil wi ll meet
Volkswagen standards. A lways use an app roved
228 cl eaning , m aint en ance
or text WARN ­
"synthetic" oil that meets the applicable Volkswa­
gen oil quality standard with viscosi ty grade
or is not availab le in your area,
be sure to use a viscosity grade suitabl e for the cli­
mate, season , and operating conditions th at exist
where the vehicle is used . Make sure the oil meets
the qual i
ty standard listed in on page 228.
Engine oils are cons tantly being improved. Author­
ized Volkswagen dealers and
authorized Volkswa­
gen Service Facilities are a lways up-to-da le re­
garding new developments and changes. Volkswa­
gen therefore recommends
tha t you have the en­
gine oil changed by an authorized Volkswagen
deale r
or an authorized Volkswagen
that meets the Volk swage n oil standard your engine requires, you may add a total of no more than 1/2 quart liter) of a high-quality
or
not be covered by any Volks­wagen Limited Warranty.
Do not mix any lubricants or other additives into the engine oil. Doing so can cause engine
damage! Damage caused by the se kinds of ad­ditives are not covered by any Volk swagen
Limited Warranty .

The what to do if the gine warn ing
driving.
Temperature
Lights up g auge cause Proper re sponse
Stop the engine and it the temperature range again. if needed is
© Engine tempera ture reel or the co
ntinues after adding
Warning zone too
high.
the
the fuses and
the engine after the gine has
is cor rect or the do
® Engin e too not drive any farther. Contact an authorized range or author ized
ant temperature stays in the if the © .
Engine system -function.
--
Engine system
and instrument cluste r text messages can cause the vehicle to break down in traffic and in a sion and serious personal injury.
234 Care, m ainten ance gen
ice or another
WARNING
Nev
er ignore warning

Failure to heed warning lights or text WARN-can result in vehicle damage. Engine coolant specifications
on page 233.
Th e engine cooling system is
loy parts in the engine cooling system against ros ion. addition , the mixture helps prevent
coolant additive even in warm
weathe r or climates where antifreeze protection is
not needed.
otherw ise ,
antifreeze protection is reduced and the ability of the mixture to cool the engine is also reduced.
When
adding engine coolant, use a mixture of tilled water and at least coolant additive
G 12 pius-plus for optimum corrosion protection
.
Too little antifreeze protection in the engine cooling system can cause engine failure and
severe injuries.
tures that can be expected where the vehicle will be used.
ant could freeze, causing the vehicle to break down. The heater would also not work, and vehicle occupants could be without
gine and the engine cooling syste m.
can pollute the environment. Collect leaking
operating fluids and dispose of them properly in
accordance with applicable environmental laws
and
regu lations .

Washing the vehicle
tory information and heed the on page 243 .
T he longer insect splatter , bird droppings, tree sap,
r oad dirt , indust rial deposits , tar , soot , road
and othe r aggressive materials stay on your cle, the more damage they do to the paint finish.
H igh temperatures (includi ng strong sunlight)
oughly.
Car wash
Pay close attention to the information provided
by the car wash operator . B efo re goi ng throu gh a
ca r was h, b e s ure to take th e usual precautio ns t o
avoid damag e , such as closi ng the windows ,
The paint finish is toug h enough th at the vehicle can
the wheels and under the door
After the vehi cle ha s been washed , the wet brakes or, in winter, brake discs or pads ed with ice, react slower and need longer stopping distances .
WARNING
Always dry the brakes and clean off any ice coatings with a few careful applications of the brake . Make sure not to endanger other motorists or cyclists or disobey legal require-
ments .
edges under the vehicl e can cut ex-
posed skin.
Always protect your hands and arms from cuts on sharp metal edges when cleaning the under-body , the inside of the wheel housings,
etc.
The water temperature must not be more
than
Ne ver clean headlights with a dry cloth or sponge . Always use a w et cloth o r s ponge . For best result s use soapy water.
When washing or rinsing the vehicle in cold weather , do not
cult to open the vehicle!
To help prevent vehicle damage
in a car wash:
in the car wash to help prevent damage to wheel rims and tires!
Make sure there is enough clearance for the
height and width of the vehic le .
To help prevent paint damage to the engine
hood, place wiper blades against the shield after they have dried. Do not let them
snap back into place .
Lock the rear hatch to prevent unintentional
opening in the car wa sh .

Engine
In this sectio n yo u 'll find informatio n about
Indicato r lights ............... ........... 295
Cata lytic co nverter
..... 296
More information:
Sh ifting gears 171
Refueling 214
Fuel 219
Engine oil
Vehicle ba ttery
N otice about data recorded by vehic le co ntr ol
modu les
T owing 330
The vehicle exhaust system and the catalytic
converter get very hot. This can cause a fire
and serious personal injury.
Never apply additional undercoating or rust proofing on or near the exhaust mani-fold, exhaust pipes, catalytic converter , or heat shields .
Proposition 65 Warning
constituents,
and certain vehicle components contain or emit chemicals known to the
addition, certain fluids contained in vehicles and certain products of component wear contain or emit chemicals
known to the
on page 295.
L
ights up Possibl e ca use Proper respon se
Engine contr
ol malfunctio n (Elec tron ic Pow -Have engi
ne checked immediat ely by an au-
er
Contr ol). thor
ized Volkswage n dea ler or aut hor ized Volks-
wagen Fa cility .
Engine contr ol/ monitoring system
malfunc- E
ase off the accelerator . Carefully drive to the
lion (engine Malfunction Indicator Light- n
ea rest auth orized Volkswagen dealer or au-MIL) thorized
Volkswagen Facility . Ha ve en-
gine checked .
Flashes Possible cause Proper response
Ease
off the accele rator. Caref ully drive to the Misfire , which can damage th e catalytic con-
nearest authorize d Volkswagen dealer or au-.
thorized Volkswagen Service Faci lity. Have en-
gine checked .
When
the ignition is switched severa l warning
and indicator ligh ts come on briefly for a func tion
check . The y
go out after a few seconds . Failure to h
eed warning lights or text WARN-
can result
Vehi cle care and maint enance