2012 VOLKSWAGEN GOLF service

vehicle may consume engine
may consume more ove r the first k m) .
The
continues to fl ash , do not keep driving or let the engine idle , as damage may occur.
you yo ur engine uses too much we
r ecom mend that you your author ized
Volkswagen o r author ize d Volkswagen
Changing engine oil
on page 227.
Th e engine
at re g ular int ervals is very importa nt
because the lu br ica ting properties of dec rease d ur ing normal u se . ch anged , ask your a u­
t horized Volk swage n de ale r or aut ho rized Volk swa­
gen Service Faci lity .
Some times , engine
sho uld be changed more of­
t e n tha n specified for no rm al use. Cha ng e more frequently if yo u often drive sh ort distances , in dus ­
t y a reas or in stop -and-go tr affic . o r if yo u use your
vehicle whe re te mpera tures stay bel
ow freezi ng for
and ch anged by an authorized Volkswagen
dea ler or an au tho rized Volkswage n Servic e F acili­
t y T hey have th e re qui red expertise and s pe­
cia l tools and dispose of the prope rly .
D ete rge nt addi tives in the
make fres h
mo re often. Service
Facilit y so th at th e
cause o f your concern
ca n be pro perly diag nosed . P lease keep in m ind
t h at accu rate meas uremen t of consumptio n re­
qui res grea t care and may take some time.
Depending o n the way th e an d t he operat ing conditions, consu mption can be up to 1 quart per
km). WARNING
know where you can proper ly d ispose of t he

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

detergent pastes or detergent tions are or sponge, the surfactants in the detergent may cause visi­to form at the edges of the area where the detergent was These or
with
surfaces.
becaus e dirt penetrate deeper into the fabric. Care and
on page 251.
in the or
authorized Volkswagen Service
and treatment
has a smooth surfa ce. The intensity of the pearance and text ure. yo u can see the grain and other provide very com­
sect bites , and a color main and represent authentic charac te ris­
tics of the natural Untr eated napa leather
has no pr otective coating. is therefore more su s­
cep tible to damage. sh ou ld keep this in mind if the leather is going to be exposed to severe wear
from children. or othe r factors. By trast. leather that has a protective coatin g is more
robust . T his has a posi tive effect on the use . The nat ural charac ­
ter is ti cs are hardly visible at but that has no impac t on the of the leathe r
itself. The typ ical characteris tics of untr eated er are much more distin ctiv e than those of a face-treated
Type of stain
After each apply cream that water­
p roo fs the leather and protect s it against the sun. crea ms it
breathe , keep it a nd moi stur ize d. At the
same time it protects the surface .
Trea t leather with a
App ly c lea ning and conditionin g and always with a dry, lint-free cotton or Do not apply and conditioning
Remove fresh stains such as ballpoint pen, s tick , in k, sh oe etc. as soon as possib le .
Preserve the leathe r's ne cessa ry,
Wipe the w ith a so ft
Volkswagen recommends using a tened cotton or for
252, Cleaning upholstery on heated seals and power seals or sea ls with bag componen ts .
soa py soluti on with a cloth that has been wrung
Water-based stains . such as Remove fresh stain s with an absorbe nt coffee. juice . or the stai ns are
maintenance

embedded objects have
ed to the inside tire, do not remo ve
them!
factors ,
you experience increased tire
wear under
or an authorized Volkswagen Service
Unbalanced wheels -The
are When
driving, however, various conditions
can cause a
to become
rebalanced .
A
be rebalanced if
a new tire has been mounted.
268 Care, maintenance
Wheel alignment-
causes excessive and
even tire wear, impairing
ty. you notice excessive or uneven
tire wear, have the
gen or an authorized
gen Service

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

Components of the airba g syste m can be
tho riz ed Volkswa gen dealer s, aut ho rized Volksw a­
g en Service Facili ties, and other qu ali fied sh ops are
tro l un it. ple , increase the force lev els measu red by the
ve nt the airbag fr om de ployi ng when it sh o uld.
N ever install l
eather up hol stery o n a ve hicle that
originally had cloth uphol stery . N eve r install cloth
up holstery on a v ehicle that origi nally had leathe r
uphols tery . T
he w eight-sensi ng mat for th e
cle when it was origin ally manufac tu red .
Changing the vehicle's suspension including use of unapproved tire-rim combinations can
change airbag performance and increase the risk of serious personal injury in a crash .
Leaving the optional safety belt extender at-
tached to the safety belt buckle on the front passenger seat when the safety belt is not being used will prevent the Advanced Airbag
286
ty belt buckle when the front seat is occupied and the safety belt is not being used will nal to the airbag control unit that the front passenger seat is occupied and that the
correct information that will -cause the safety pretensloner to deploy unnecessarily in collisions and
- cause the front passenger airbag to
er to help protect an unrestrained front seat passenger.
stored between the safety belt buckle and the center console can cause safety belt buckle to send the wrong information to the airbag control unit and prevent the Advanced Airbag
Always make sure that nothing can fere with the safety belt buckles and that they are not obstructed.
care and servicing, and improper modification and repair work, can increase the risk of personal injury and death by
ed or deploying an airbag unexpectedly:
Never repair, adjust, or change any parts of the airbag system.
dio equipment, cellular telephones and dios, etc.) should be performed by authorized
Volkswagen dealers or authorized Volkswa­gen Service Facilities . They have the