2012 VOLKSWAGEN GOLF lock

Switching
Fig. 114
on page 179.
Brake fluid
Fig. 11 5
on pag e 179.
Brake fluid
absorbs water from the air over time.
To o much water in the brake fluid will damage the brake system. Water also lowers th e boiling point of the brake fluid. Too much water in the brake flu id can cause vapor lock during heavy brake use or hard braking. Vapor lock reduces braking
ty of others depends on brakes that are worki ng
properly at all times
The Electronic
EDL and
can be switched off by pressi ng @ 114
wh ile the engine is running. off
When driving in deep s now o r on loose
When the vehicle back and forth when you are stuck.
on again by pressing @ 114. Brake specifications
Volkswagen has developed a special brake fluid
that is optimized for the brake system in your Volkswagen. Volkswagen recommends that you
use brake fluid that conforms to qua lity standa rd VW Standard
F ederal Motor Vehicle 116 4 o r
14 also complie s wi th 116 4 and 4925 4
requ irements . However. brake fluid that generally complies with s ta ndard 116 4 o r 4925 essarily comply with the special requirements of VW s ta ndard
cle.
Appropriate bra ke fluid
can be purchased from
you r authorized Volkswagen dealer or authorized
Volkswagen
The f lu id level in the transparent brake fluid voir must always be between the and MAX marking

you cannot
clearly see th e brake fluid level in the brake fluid
r eservoir , p lea se see an authorized Volkswagen
dealer or authorized Volkswagen Service Facility.
Th e brake
Br ake fluid must be changed according to the serv­
ice schedule in your =>booklet Warranty and Main­
tenance . Have the brake fluid ch ecked by an au­
t h orized Volkswagen dealer or an aut horized
Volk swage n Service tha t m ee ts the standa rds
Brake failure and reduced brake pe rformance
can be caused by not having enough brake
f luid in the reservoir or by old or incorrect brake fluid.
Always change the brake fluid according to the service sch edule in book-let Warranty and Mainten ance.
Hard braking with old brake fluid may cause vapor lock. Vapor lock reduces braking performance , increases stopping distances
and can even cau se total brak e failure.
Always make sure that only the correct brake fluid is used. standard 14 or standa rd 116
standard s tand ard 116 4, do not use it.
The brake fluid must be new .
Brake fluid is poisonous.
To reduce the risk of poisoning, never use food, beverage or other non-original contain-ers to store brake fluid.
store brake fluid in its clo sed , origi-nat container and keep it out of the reach of children.
Brake fluid will damage vehicle paint. Wipe any brake fluid off vehicle paint immediately.
Brake the envir onment. Brake fluid tha t has leaked out must be col­
lec ted and disposed of properly , cable e nvir onmen tal reg ulatio ns.

Flashes Possible ca use Proper response
Electronic steering column lock malfunction . The ignition cannot be switched on. The vehicle
system stiff.
column not locked I unlocked .
When the
ignition is switched severa l warni ng
a n d indicator lights come on briefly for a function
check . T hey go out after a few seconds.
Failure to heed warning lights and instrument cluster text messages can ca use the vehicle to break down sion and serious personal injury.
tory Information and heed the on page 192.
To
tomatic transmiss ion vehicle.
press the starter button briefly twice in a row
without depressing the brake or clutch pedal.
D o
not drive any farther if the steering column
remains locked after you switch on the ignition.
Get professional assistance.
Always stop the vehicle as soon as it is safe to do so.
F a
ilure to heed warning lights or text can resu lt vehicle damage .
Engaging the steering
co lumn lock
Park ing the vehicle
ing column lock
Turn the steering wheel
slightly to take pressure
off the steering column
l ock .
to the ignition switch.
Hold the steer ing wheel
i n this position and turn
the ignition switch.
Power steering automatically adjusts to driving
speed , steering torque, and the steering angle
of the wheels . Power steering works only when the
engine is running .
it
Sta rting, sh ift ing , park ing

Counter-steering assistance
Counter-steering assistance is part of Electronic
Stability Control (ESC). This feature makes it ier for the driver to control the vehic le in difficult
uation and helps the driver counter-steer with
The counter-steering assistance in can do no more than help the driver steer in
self with feature!
194 driving
the ignition is off, the steer ing column lock engage and the vehicle cannot be steered. For this reaso n, you must leave the ignition on
when going through an automatic car wash, for example, so that the wheels will still steer.

the fuel and take the fuel cap back
on the
Afte r switc hing on the ignition , the light
may stay on or the text message may
however, the malfunction indi cato r light also
comes on, drive to your nearest authorized Volks­
wagen deale r or a uthorized
Vol kswage n Facility and have the fuel system and the engine
checked .
Driving with a fu el tank that is almost empty can lead to and serious personal injuries.
Refueling
Fig . 125 Fuel cap placed on the open fuel
tory information and hee d the WARN­on page 214.
Before refue ling , always switch off the engine, the
i gniti on , and phones , and leave them
switc hed off unt il refu eling is complete .
when driving over bumps, across slopes, and up and down
and relat ed systems no t work if the engine or due to lack o f f uel.
to reduce the risk of running out of fuel and stalling in traffic.
ca n re sult vehicle damage .
fuel supply can cause the
engi ne to misfire . This
The arrow next to the gas pump symbo l in the fuel gauge 124 shows the of the vehicle with the fuel filler Opening the fuel cap
Unlo ck the vehicle from the outside with the ve­
h ic le key or pres s the central loc king button in driv­
er
to unlock the vehicle from the inside 41.
The fuel
Pre ss on the back part of the fuel and
fold open .
Unscrew the fuel cap counterclockwise
and remove . Plac e the cap on the top of the fue l 125 .
The correc t fuel grade for you r vehicle is listed on
a sticker on the insid e of the fuel 125.
The fuel tank is full when the automatic filler nozzle pump switch es off the first time
Do not try to add fuel after the pump stops!
T opping off the tank in this way may the expan­
sion space that the tank needs and cause fuel to
for exam ple, if it gets warmer out side .

Never pour or operating or on the engine. These
work on the system or the
disconnect the 12 battery. Make sure the is when you disconnect the battery , or the
have a functional, approved fire extinguisher nearby .
Warning
When changing or topping off fluids, make sure that you pour the voirs. Adding the wrong type of operating
and are
you find spot s
o f
first read and note the introductory in formation and heed the on
icon
appea rs Engine hood not prope rly closed.
in the dis-
th e engine hood is open or not closed properly ,
t he warning comes on in the i nstrument
D epending on your vehicle 's equ ipmen t and tio n s, a symbo l showing that the hood is not closed may appea r in the instrument cluste r
disp la y instead of th e warning light. The symbol be displayed even after the ignition is
swi tched off. Th e display goes out abo ut 15
onds afte r t he vehicle has been locked with the doors closed .
224 Care, cleaning , maintenance Proper
response
and instrument cluster text messa ges can cause the to break down in traffic and sion and serious

Charging,
on page 238.
Charging the vehicle battery
Vehicle batteries should be charged by an author­
ized Volkswagen dealer or an authorized Volkswa­
gen
because the factory -installed
battery requires a charger with overload protection
Replacing the vehicle battery
The battery in your vehicle is
batteries meet­
ing standards TL 825
electrical system, note the following :
off
Unlock the vehicle before disconnecting the
battery; otherwise the alarm system
Fir st disconnect the negativ e cable(-) and then the positive
Connecting the vehicle battery
Pr ior to reconnecting the battery , switch off electrical sys tems and devices and the ignition .
Connect the posit ive cable(+) first and then the
negative cable (-)
After the battery is connected and the ignition is
sw itched on, different indicator light s may come on. They should go out after you drive a short distance
ice Facility and have the checked.
th e ign ition not start after reconnecting the vehicle battery , lock the vehic le from the outside
and unlock it again. Then try to start the ignition
again.
lhe ignition cannot be switched on, con­
tact an authorized Volkswagen dealer, an author­
ized Volkswagen
o r another quali­
fied workshop for assistance.
Automatic electrical load deactivation
onboard electrical system management auto mati ­takes steps to help prevent battery drain.
The idle speed is increa sed so that the alterna­
t o r provides more power.
Th e power to devices that consume a lot of electricity is cut back or switched off completely.
When the engine is started, the power supply to the 12
Long periods when the engine is not running,
especially when the ignition is on .
Using electr ical sys tems or devices when the
engine is swi tched off. Leaving the
The selecto r lever is left for a long period of time in any position other than P when the ignition
is swi tched off =>page 175.
Failure to use th e proper battery with proper mounting and connection s may cause short circu its, fires, and serious persona l injuries.
Always use only maintenance-free or cy-
cle-free, leak-proof batteries with the sa me
s p ec ifications and dimensions as the original
equipment b attery. Specifications are listed
on the battery housing.
Wh en the vehicle battery is ch arged, it produ-
ces highly explosive hydroge n gas.
th e engine compartment

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 .