2012 VOLKSWAGEN GOLF PLUS Break

light does not
come
on ...
the ligh t
vice Facili ty.
The light should
BAG light shou ld come on w he n the ign ition is on and an adult is
the lig ht
co mes on and sta ys on unde r these circ um stances,
mak e sure that :
th e adult on the front passenger seat is
the adult is not we igh t off the seat by holding o n to t he passe nge r assis t handle abov e the front passe nger doo r or supporting their weight on th e armres t o r hold in g onto the ass ist ha ndle on the in strument panel;
t h e safet y belt is be in g properly wo rn and that th ere is no t a lo t o f s la c k in the s afet y be lt webbing;
Access ory seat covers or cu sh ions or other
thi ngs that m ay cause an incorrect reading or pression on the weight-se nsin g mat under the
fir st read and note the introd uc tory inform ation an d heed the on page 80.
Front airbags and how they work
Airbags are only supplem ental restra ints. They are not a substit ute for safety belt s that must be w orn even though th e front seatin g po sitions are equip ped wi th front airb ags. The fron t a ir bags can provid e additional prote ct ion for the chest and head of the drive r and the fr ont seat passe nger when seat s, safety belt s, h ead restraints and, for
th e dri ver, th e s teering wheel, are properly used and have been properly adju sted.
Before driving
the statu s of the Adva nced Air bag has changed whi le the vehicle is moving, the BAG ligh t blinks for about 5 sec­onds to catch the driver's attention . If this pens, a lways stop as soon as it is safe to do so and check the steps described above.
light does not go ofT when an adult who is not very sm all is sitting on the front passen ge r seat after taking the steps described above, make sure the adult is properly seat e d and restrained a t one of the rear seating
position s.
Have the airbag system inspected by your authorized Volkswagen dealer or authorized Volkswag en
sen ge r seat d ete cts an empty seat, th e front airba g on the passenger sid e will be tu rned off, and the light stay on.
sen ge r safety belt itself is buckled and the front passe nge r seat is no t occupied, the
the air bag sys te m deploys in a collis io n , a
ga s ge nerator fills th e a ir bags that break open the padded cove rs on the steering w heel and th e strume n t panel. The front airbags inflate between
th e s teerin g w heel and th e driver and between th e
in strumen t panel a nd th e front passenger.
Fron t air bag s in combination wit h properly wo rn
sa fety be lt s s low down and limit the occupant's forward movement. Toge ther they help to prevent th e driv er

Never rid e with th e ba ckres t reclined.
Always sit p ossib le from the steering
w heel or th e in strument pan el.
A lways sit upri ght with your back
Never your feet on the instrument panel or on th e sc at. Alwa ys keep both fee t on the floor
in front of th e seat to help prevent serious
flat es.
Obj ects between you the airb ag
Never hold things in your hands or on your lap when the ve hicl e is in usc.
Never place accessories or other objects (su ch cup hold ers , telephone bracke ts , or thing s that
a re heavy, or bulky) o n th e door s or attach
th em to the doors; neve r place th em over or near the area marked ''AIR
Never re cline
side airbags or the front
ai rb ag during breaking or in sudden ver. Obje cts near the airbags can n y dangerous
l y through the passenger comparlment and
ca use inju ry, particularly when th e seat is cli ne d and the airbags innat e.
Never place or transport obj ec ts on the front
pa sse nger seat. Alwa ys make sure
is different from the it would have
wo rked without the added we ig ht.
Always make sure that no thin g is o n th e front
passenger seat when th e ba ckre st is folded
w ard. Even light ob jec ts co uld be pus hed into th e
s ea t c u shion and cause the weig ht-sen sing mat in the scat to register enough weig h t to turn the
airbagon.
86 87

Always make sure nothing is in the front air­bag deploym ent zone that could be struck by the airbag when it inflates.
Never hold things or on your lap when the vehicle is in use.
Never place accesso ries or other objects
(such as cup holders, tel ephone brackets, note pads, navigation systems, or things that are large, heavy, or bulky) on the doors; never at­tach them to the doors or the windshield; never place th em over or near or attach them to the area marked
fig. 59 or 91, fig.
Never attach objects to the windshield above the passenger front airbag, such as accessory navigation units or music player s.
Never recline th e front passenger seat to transport objects. can also move into the deployment area of the side airbags or the front airbag during breaking or in a sudden maneu­ver. near th e a irbags can fly dangerously through the pass enger compartment and cause injury, particularly when the seat is reclined and the airbags inflate.
Always make sure that there is nothing on the front passe nger seat that will cause the weight­sensing mat in the scat to signal to theAirbag that the scat is occupied by a person when it i s not, or to signal that it is occupied by someone who is heav ie r than the person actually
sitting on th e sca t. The weight of th e object could cause the passenger front airbag to be turned on when it should be off, or could cause the airbag to work in a way that is differ ent from the way it
would have worked without the added weight.
Alwa ys make sure that nothing is on the front passenger seat when the backrest is folded
forward. Even light objec ts could be pushed into the seat cu shi on and cause th e weight-sensing mat in the seat to re gister enough weight to turn the airbag on.
Never usc solvents or cleaners on the steering wheel horn pad or instrument panel, because they can damage the
Before driving
airbag cover or change the stiffne ss or strength of the material so that the airbag cannot deploy and protect properly. When cleaning the hom pad and instrumen t p anel, use only a soft, dry cloth or a cloth moist en ed
with plain water.
A front seat passenger, especially an infant or small child, will be seriously injured and could
eve n be killed if he or she is
Although the Advanced Airbag has been designed to switch off when an infant or child is on the front passenger seat in a child seat that was used during the certification
process for the Advanced Airbag no one can guarantee with absolute certainty that the airbag never deploy under these particular conditions in all conceivable situations for the duration of the vehicle 's use.
For their own safety, all children, especially those 12 years and younger, mus t always sit on the back seat, properly restrained for their age and size.
Facility. A lit indicator light means the airbag may not work properly if
activated in a crash.

Please first read and no te th e im rod uc tory info rmation a nd heed th e on page
Light s up Possible cau se Proper re sponse
any burned out lightbulb s page 344 or Driving not worki ng.
if ligh t bulbs are d ea le r or authorized ... swage n Serv ice Facility if necess ary.
Adaptive Front Ligh
ting Sys te m malfunc-
t ion. -
near fog s witc h e d on.
-
Front fog
T he in dicato r blin ks twice as fas t if a
If necessary, ch ec k th e vehicle and t railer turn signal is not wo rking on the vehi cle or
DRL
Daytime runnin g on.
High beams switched on or headligh t in use.
High beam co ntrol (Lig ht Assis t) on.
F las h
es Poss ible cause
.. Adap tive Front Lighting Syste m malfun c-tio n.
Whe n the ig nition is swi tched
Failure to heed warning light s and Instrument clu ste r t ex t m essages can cause the vehicle to break down in traffic and result in and seriou s personal injury.
Never i gno re warn ing lights or t ex t INGS.
Alwa ys stop the as soon as it is safe to do so.
light s and vision
-
122.
Proper respon se
a n authorize d
Wheneve r safe di stance ofT the sto p th e e ng in e, turn on th e em erge ncy flasher s,
and usc other warning dev ices to warn chin g
Neve r park the ve hicl e in areas where th e
h o t catalyt ic converter and exhau st syst em can
come int o contact with dry grass, brush, oil , or other m ate rial that can catch fire. A broken down ve h icle present s a high
ge ncy flash ers and se t up warning triangl e to
wa rn oncoming traffic

In thi s sect io n yo u'll find inform ation on the lowing:
Cup holde r in the front center console ......... .
Cup holder in the rear center .. .... ... . .
Cup holder in the rear center armres t
Bottle holders
There are bottle holders in the open ments in th e dri ver and passe nger doors.
More information:
p age 270
166
167
167
Improper use of cup holders can cause injuries.
Never put hot drin ks in the cup holders. During normal or sudden maneuve rs, sudden braking or in a hot liquid can be and cause burns !
Make certain that bottles or other items
cannot fall into the d.river's footweU while the ve hicl e is moving and interf e re with the ment of the p edals.
Fig. the fron t cen ter console: Cup holder, type A.
fir st read and no te th e introductory inform ation and heed the o n pag e
Different cup ho ld e r models are available for the
from cen ter co n so le.
B efo re driving
Never put heavy cups, food or oth er h ea vy
it em s in the cu ph olders. H eavy items can fly through the passenger compa.rtment in a crash and cause serious injury .
Hot
or freezing temperatures in the passenger compartment can cause closed bottles to plode or break.
Never leave closed bottles a very hot or co ld
ve hicl e.
Note
Do not leave open drinks in the cu p holder the vehicle is moving. The drinks can and damage the ve hicl e, including the e lectrical system.
The cup ho ld er in se rts ca n be re m ove d for cleaning.
Fig.
slid e th e lid on th e center co nsole fo rwa rd
To close, slide th e lid back.

Lights cause or up
I
Together w ith indicator
m alfun ction.
T oge th
er with warning light
cause
or is opera ting.
W hen the ig nition
is sw itched on,
light s and instrument cluster text messages can cause the vehicl e to
break down in traffic and result in a collision and serious personal injury.
Never ignore warning light s or text WARN­
Always stop the vehicl e as soon as it is safe to
do so.
Driving
with bad brake s can cause a collision and serious p ersonal injury .
does
not go out, or co mes on w hen driving, either the brak e fluid leve l in the reservoir is too low or there is a fault in the brake sys tem. Immediately
s top driving and get expert assista nce
response
Take the veh icle to an authori zed Volkswage n
d ealer or authori zed Volkswagen Service Fa-The ve hicl e brake s will work without
response
foot off accelerator pedal. Adapt driving to road conditi ons.
If the brake warnin g light BRAKE or co mes on at the same time as the warning light or th eABS may not be working properly. Thi s
could cause th e rear whee ls to lock up re latively
quickly during braking. Rear wheel brake lock­
u p can cause loss of veh icle control. If yo u be­
lieve that it is safe to do so, reduce your speed and d ri ve carefully and at low speeds to the neares t authorized Volkswagen dealer or a qual­
the indicator light or does not go out , or if it comes on driving, the sys tem is not workin g properly. The vehicle can th en be stopped onl y with the standard brake s
(wi thout ABS). w ill not have the protection provides. Contact your authorized Volk­
swage n dealer or an authorized Volkswagen vice Facility as soon as possib le.
lights up in the
in strument cluster display, whether alo ne or to ­gether with a te xt message, immediately contact an authorized Volkswagen dealer or authorized Volkswage n Facility to have the brake pad s ch ecked and, if necessary, replaced.
Note
Failure to heed warning lights or text WARNINGS can re sult in vehicle damage

Befo re stopping th e en gine, turn the s teerin g
w heel so th at, if the ve hicl e sta rt s to its w heels w ill int o th e curb:
Fac ing turn the fro nt whee ls s o th a t
they point t oward the curb .
Fa c in g uphill , turn the front whee ls so that th ey
p o int away from the curb .
WARNING
The vehicl e exh aust system and the catalyt ic
co nverter or diesel particulate filter get very hot and can cause a and serious personal injury.
Never park where the ho t exhaust system could ignite flammable m aterial s, su ch as brush, leaves, dry grass , spilled fuel, etc.
About the brakes
read and note th e introductor y information and hee d th e on page 188.
New d o not provi de to miles to km) and m ust firs t be
hard braking and situ atio ns that
mi ght re quir e hard braking (such follow in g other vehicles too closely)-during the break-in period .
pad wear depe nd s m ostly o n operatin g the vehicle is d riven.lfyou do a l ot o f ci ty and shor t-dis ta nce driv ing and/or have
a sp o rt y driv in g s ty le, yo u sh ould have th e brake
p ad s checke d by a n authorized Vol ksw age n d eal er or a u thori ze d Volkswagen Service Fa cilit y m ore
o fte n than the regula r servi ce interva ls.
Wet
r e la tive ly hi gh speed.
Mak e sure nobo dy is be hind you and that yo u do
not endanger yo urself or
Not e
Alwa ys be careful when you park in areas with parking barriers or high curbs . T hese vary in heig ht and could damage your bumper lated parts if the front of your ve hicl e hits a barrier or curb that is too high while you are getting into or out of parking spot. To help prevent dam age,
s top b efore the tires of your ve hicle touch a parking barrier or c urb.
Alwa ys be c areful when you enter a or down steep ramps or over curbs or other obstacl es. o f th e v ehicl e close to the ground be damaged (such as btm1per covers,
s p oi lers, and parts of the en gine, suspension, and exhaust sys tems).
coa ted with road sa lt also react slowe r and need lo nge r stopping dis ta n ces. there is salt o n
t h e ro ads and you are no t b raki ng reg ularly , b ra ke carefully and ge ntl y from tim e to tim e to rem ove
a n y salt coa ting from the bra ke discs an d pad s
Brake d isc corro sion (rust) and dirt buil d-up on
th e br
ake pads are m ore like ly to o ccur if th e hide is no t dri ven muc h or i s drive n only fo r sh o rt dista nces w ith littl e brakin g. th e brake s have not
been use d and th ere is so me ru st o n t he di scs, clean th e brak e discs and p ad s o nce in a whi le by carefully braking co upl e of times whi le dri v in g at
r e lati vely hi gh sp ee d to help clean the bra ke di scs
and pad s. Mak e sure n o bod y is behind you and that you do no t enda nger yo urself or
B rake system malfunction
you brake and
th e ve hicl e to the n earest authorize d Volkswage n dea ler or
p in g d is ta nce, and be ready to pus h lo nger and harder on th e brak e pedal to slow th e ve hicl e
d own.

Fuel-efficient driving
Fig. 131 Fuel consumption in ferent ambient air temperatures .
info rmation and heed the on page 198.
Dri vin g defensive ly and economically can easily
r educe fuel con sumption by to 15 % .
The ve hicle consu mes the most fu el w he n atin g. D efe nsive dri vin g require s less brakin g and therefore less accelerat ion. If possib le, coast the ve hicle to a sto p, for exa mple, when yo u ca n see th a t th e next traffic ligh t is red or is about to turn
red.
Avoid traveling short distanc
es
A cold engine consumes sig nificantl y more fuel
imm ediately after sta rtin g. It take s a few miles fore the engi ne is warm ed up and fuel tion i s stabili zed.
To reduce fuel consumptio n and the emission of pollutants effect ive ly, the e ng in e and ca talytic
conve rter must reach th eir optimal operating
ica l in thi s context.
fig. 13 1 displays the v a ry ing fuel consumption rates
for the same d istance dri ven, once at +68 and once at + 14
th e e ngin e run to warm is not o nl y lega l in some co untries, but also technicall y not
n ecessary and wastes fu el.
Adjust the tire pres sure
T he prop er tir e
pressure help s reduce rollin g tance as well as fue l co nsumption. In additi on ,
slig htl y higher tire pressure(+ 3 psi I+ bar) ca n
h e lp save fuel.
If you ca n a ccept a slight los s in comfort, the ommend ed tir e pressure for a fully loade d ve hicl e
ca n be used. This als o applies to so litary dri vin g and driv ing withou t lu ggage loa ds.
When purchasing new t ires, alway s ma ke sure th at
th e tires are optimi zed for lower rollin g resis tance.
Us e low viscosity engine oil
F ull y sy nth e
tic, low viscosity e ngine oils reduce
fuel consumption. Low viscosity e ngin e oils duce the fric tional res istance on th e engine and are dis tributed m ore evenly and qui ckly, larly w hen co ld -s tarting the engine. The effect is parti c ularl y apparent in vehicles th at frequentl y
tra vel s hort dis tan ces.
A lways ens
ure th e righ t e n g in e oil leve l is ta in ed and keep to the sc h edul ed serv ice interva ls
(e ng ine oil ch an ges).
W
hen purch asing e ngine oil, always ch eck th e Volksw agen en gine oil standard and approval.
Avoid unnecessary weight
The lighter th e ve hicl e, th e more economica l and ceo-friend ly it w ill be. For in stance, an extra
H e m ove
consum e. Aftermark et co mponents s uch as
ro of or b icycle racks dimin is h its aerod yn a m ic fonnan ce.
Th erefo re, re
mov e un necessary aftermark e t ponents and unused rac k systems, parti cul arly if ....... -
fir st read and note th e introductory informa tion and h ee d th e WAHNINGS page
response
Ha ve the power stee rin g sys te m ch ec ked ste eri ng failure. mediatel y by an authori zed Volk swag en deale r
o r a n authorized Volk swagen
Fac ility. steeri ng ass is t i s reduced. re start the e n gine, and dri ve a sh ort tan ce. If th e yello w warning light does not
c o m e on again, you do not need to have th e
s te ering syste m ch ec ke d .
Vehicle battery was di sconnected and has Drive a short distan ce at 12 mph been reconnec te d . km/h).
F lashes re sponse
Elec troni c steering column lo ck malfunc -
which m ay appea r in the in strument clu ste r
di sp lay. loc ke d.
W
hen the i g nit ion is switc h ed on, seve ra l wa rnin g and indicator lights come on bri efly for a f un ction ch e ck . T hey go out after a few seconds.
Failure to
heed warning light s and in strument cluster text m essages can cause th e vehicl e to break down in t raffic and result in a collisio n and seriou s personal injury.
Neve r igno re warning lights or tex t
Do not dri ve if th e s teerin g co lumn remains
l ocke d switch in g th e ig niti on on aga in.
Ge t expert assis ta nce.
Alwa ys sto p the vehicl e as soon as it is safe to do so .
Note
Failur e to heed warning lights or tex t WARNINGS can res ult in vehicl e damage