2012 VOLKSWAGEN GOLF ESP

the co mp act sp a re
to the tir e
pr ess ure spec ified f or
the
roa d
a crash or other accident,
and serious
the compact
spare
or
tion, heavy braking, and fast
pact spare
Compact spare
tires are designed for brief use
espe­
the tire pressure
must be checked as soon as
The
tire taken off the rear
the

over 149 mph
up to 186 mph
tires
with a
maximum permis sibl e road
speed above 149 mph
km/h}
w ith the
Using incorrect or unmatched
tires and/or wheels or improper
tire and wheel combinations can
lead
to Joss of control, collision
and serious personal injury.
first read and note the tory information and heed the on page 258.
Win te r t ires improve the
character istics of your tires have
4 especially when winter road tions are expected. Winter tires reduce
stopping distances during winter weather. gen recommends installing winter tires once peratures are +45 (+7
addition , winter tire
maintenance
When using winter tires:
ments.
winter tires on 4
Use winter tires
Use
the same dimensions (tread circumference)
and the same tread design .
speed restrictions according to the
restrictions
Winte r tires are certified up to a top speed
it is to set a
speed warning in the MFD menu in the instrument
24.

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

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.

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

Operating your vehic le outside of the United
tory information and heed the on page 291.
Government regulations in the Unit
ed and Canada require that automobiles meet speci fic
emission regulations an d safely standards . for the and Canada differ
f rom vehicles sold in other coun tr ies.
to take your vehicle outside the or Canada , there is the possibility that:
Unl eaded for vehicles with catalytic
Fuel may have a co nsiderably lower octane ing and may cause engine damage.
may be inadequate due to
tory information and heed the on page 291.
the ra dio and navigation systems were installed
at the fac tory, the radio a ntenn a may be insta lled in differe nt locations in the vehic le:
the inside of th e rea r window w ith the rear
wi nd ow defroste r,
the inside of the rear side win dows,
the inside of the windshie ld ,
the vehic le roof.
An te nna s on the insides of windows are thin wires .
UTQG classification
on page 291.
Unif orm Tir e Quality Grading (UTQG) : Quality
grades can be found where applicab le on the tire
sidewa ll between the tread shou lder and maxim um
sec tion width . E xample :
Replaceme nt parts may not be read ily
DVD navigation systems for
tries outside of N orth Ame rica.
Volksw agen
is not responsible for mechanical
damage that may result from substandard fuel or service or the of Genuine
Volkswagen parts.
Volkswagen is not responsible if the does not meet the respective
icals. Do not place any stickers on the
agents or other ch emica ls.
to the integrated windshield antenn a, interference
w it h AM radio receptio n may occur . Treadwea r (numb er)
Traction: AA, B or
Tempera ture : A , B or
Fo r example: Treadwear Tr ac tion AA, pera tur e A.
passenger car ti res must conform to Federal R equ iremen ts in add ition to these grades .

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

Emergency
on page
the power supply fails (due to a dead vehicle bat­
tery , for example) and the vehicle has to be pushed or towed , the emergency release must be used to move the selecto r lever to N eutral (N).
Th e emerge n
cy release is located under the selec­
tor gate cover on the right side when viewed in the
driving direction .
Preparations
Set the parking brake. the parking brake can­
no t be set firmly , you must find another way to pre­
vent the vehic le from moving .
Switch off the ignit ion.
Removing the selector gate cover
Pull upward on the cover aroun d the selec tor
lever sleeve fig. 152 .
Slip the cover up and over the selector lever
Push the release lever 153 in the direc ­
t ion of the arrow and hold it in this position .
Press the release button fig. 152 the
selector lever handle and shift the selector lever to Neu tral (N) .
WARNING
Never shift the tran smi ssion out of Park (P) without first firmly applying the parking
brake . the vehicle can start to roll unexp ectedly, especially on hills or inclines,
a nd cause an accident and serious injuries.
Ev en
with the selector lever is in N (Neutra l), the automatic transmission will b e damaged if the vehicle is towed (or you let it coast) for an extended period or at high speed with the en-
gine shut off.