2012 VOLKSWAGEN GOLF PLUS warning light

information and heed the WAHNINGS on page 234.
Lights
up Indicator pos itio n response 235, fig. 147
Hunning on reserve-
Fu el tank cap not pro perly closed. properly.
When the ignition is switched
a few seconds.
Fuel tank cap not properly
indicator ligh t comes on or if yo u see a tex t m essage to the same effec t in the in stru­ment clu ste r d is play , stop the ve hicl e in a safe
p lace and switch ofT the en g ine and the ig n ition.
might remain even tho ugh the fu el t ank cap is properl y closed. This is no rm al and n o re ason to take your vehicl e in for se rvic e.
however, th e m alfun ctio n indicator light driv e to yo ur neares t authorized swagen dealer or authorize d Volkswage n Serv ice Facility and have fuel sys tem and the engine checked.
While driving
Driving with a fu el tank that is almost empty can
lead t o s tallin g in traffic, a co llisio n, and seriou s
p ersonal injuries.
W hen the fu el t ank is almost empty, fuel
supply to the engine can b e interrupted, espe­ciall y w he n driving up and d ow n hill s.
Steerin g and braking assist ance a s we ll as and re lated syste ms w ill not work if the en ­
gine or s talls due to lack of fuel.
Always refuel w hen the tank is 1/4 full to re ­duce the risk of sta ll in g in traffic due to lack of fuel.
Note
----------------------~ Failure to heed warning lights or t ext WARN-can result in veh icle damage.
Never drive until the fuel tank i s com ple te ly
empty. The irregula r fu el supply can cause the e n­gine to misfire. This allows unburned fuel t o ge t into the exhau st syste m and damage the cata lyti c
co nverter or the diesel p arti culate filt er.
The small next to the gas pump symbol in the fuel page fig. shows
th e sid e of the ve hicl e w ith the fuel filler flap.

Introduction
In thi s sectio n you'll find information on the lowing:
Warning light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 244
Getting ready to work in the engine comportment 245
ond closing tho engine comportment . . . 246
A lways
pos iti on th e ve hicl e on a firm and leve l face befor e doin g a ny work in the e ngin e ment.
Th e e ngin e com p
artment of a ve hicle is a hazardo us
area. Neve r do any work on the en gine or in
the engine compartment unless you
- know exactly how to carry out the job, -have th e correc t tec hnica l information and the
prop er tools and supplies, and -are famili ar with the necessary safe ty
I f you are un certain in any way, have the work done by an aut horized Volkswage n dea le r or authorized Volk swage n Se rvice
Wind shi eld wiper and 128
Sta rtin g and stopping th e page 172
Brake 188
Vehicle
while 234
Engi ne
En gin e 252
Part s, accessories, repairs and modificat ions pag e303
Core, maint enance
Unintended vehicle movement during
Neve r work under the unless you have safely secured the vehicle from moving. If
you mus t work under the
are strong enough to support the weight of the vehicle. The jack supplied the vehicle is no t st ro ng enough for purpose and can collapse ca using seriou s personal in-
Th e engine
compartment of any motor vehicl e is
a potentially dangerous and can cause riou s per sonal injury .
Always use extrem e ca ution when doing any work in the engine comp artm ent. Alway s follow
c ommonl y accepted safety practice s and use common sense. Neve r risk personal injury.
Never perform any work in the engine partm ent unl ess you know exactly how to carry
o ut the job and hav e th e correct tec hni cal mation and the correct tools.
w age n dealer ,
We stron gly recommend th at you always
hav e gas disc harg e lamp s (Xenon) and

Always disconnect the batt ery (or teries, where appli cable). Make sure the hicle is unlocked when you disconnect the battery, or th e alarm w ill go off. Never touch the electrica l w irin g of the ign ition sys te m .
Neve r smoke.
Never work near heaters, water heaters, or other open flames.
Always have a functional, approved fire tinguisher nearby.
Warning
Note
W hen c
hangin g or topping off fluid s, make sure that you pour the fluids into the correct voirs. Addin g incorrect fluids will cause serious
malfunc tions and engine damage!
Fluid leaks are harmfu l to the environm ent.
thori zed Volkswagen dealer or authori zed swagen Serv ice Faci lity. Dispose of le aked at ing fluid s
first read and note the in tr o du ctory informat io n and heed th e on p age 242.
Lights ca use up
Engine hood not proper ly closed.
When the ignition is sw
itched on, several warning
a nd in dicator light s co me on bri efly fo r a functio n
c h eck. They go out after a few seconds.
If th e engi ne hood is open or not clos
ed properly,
the following warning light comes on in the ment cluster:
tions , a sy mbol showing th at the hood is not erly clo sed may appea r in th e in stru ment clu ste r
di splay instead of the warnin g light . Th e light or sy mbo l will als o com e o n whe n th e ig nition is swit ched off. T he di splay goe s out about
Core,
response
Close the eng ine hood.
I S seconds
after the vehicle has been locked with
the doors closed.
Failure to heed warning lights and instrument cluster text messages can cause the vehicle to
break down in traffic and res ult in a co llision and se riou s personal injury.
Never ignore warning lights or text
Always stop the vehicle as soo n as it is safe to do

Engine oil
Introduction
In thi s sect io n you'll find inform ation on the fol­
lowing:
Warning and indicator lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 247
Engine
=>Boo klet Warranty
fo r wor king in the engine com­partment=> page 242
accessories, repairs and modifications page303
Im
proper h andling of engin e oil can cause se­vere burns and other seriou s injurie s.
Always wear eye protection.
Warning and indicator light s
Engine oil is poisonous and must be stor ed out of the rea ch of children.
To reduce
Engine oil becomes ex tremely hot when the engine is running and can ca use severe burns. Alway s le t the engine cool down to the tou ch.
all othe r operat in g flui ds, engine oil can pollut e the envir o nment. leak ing op­
erat ing fluid s and dispose of them properly in ac­
co rdance with appl icable environmental laws and regu latio ns.
on page 247.
Light s response up
Engine oil level too low. th e engine. th e eng ine oil leve l --=>page 249.
Flashes cause respon se
Switc h off the eng ine.
Engine oil press ure too low.
-If the warning light flashes although the oil level is normal , do continue driving or let the en gine idle. as damage may result. Get ex -pert assis ta n ce.
Take the veh icle to an auth orized Volkswagen Engine oil leve l sensor malfunction. dealer or authorized Volkswagen Service Fa-cility. Have the engine oil sensor checked .

Failure to heed warning lights and instrument cluster text messages can cause ve hicl e to break down in traffi c and result in a collision and serious perso nal injury .
Never ignore warning lights or text WARN­INGS.
Eng ine
first read and not e the introductory information and h eed the on page 247.
The engine oil used must conform to exact specifi­cations.
U sin g
the prop er engin e oil is import an t for th e
fun ctionality and serv ice life of th e engine. Your engin e was factory-filled with a hi gh-qualit y
multi -gr ad e oil which can usuall y be used
t h roughout the entire ye ar.
Your engine was factory
-fille d with a hi gh -quality, all-season e ng in e oil that meets stric t Volkswagen oil quality standards and has a vis­grad e ofSAE You can use this oil for normal d riv in g in temperatures.
D iesel engin es with diesel
diesel particulat e filt er
At the tim e thi s Manual was printed, the engine oils available in the U.S. that m eet these swage n standards oils. This does
not mean, however, that any engin e oil
will meet Volkswagen standard s. Always use an ap­proved oil that exp ress ly complies w ith the
Core,
Always stop the veh icle as soon as it is safe to
d o so.
No te
Failure to heed warning lights or tex t WARNINGS can result in ve hicle
swagen oil qualit y standard th at applies to your ve­
hicle's e ngin e.
General recommendations:
If oi l th a t meets the applicab le swagcn oil quality standard w ith viscosity grade SAE or is no t availab le in your area,
b e sure to use viscosity g rad e suitabl e for the cl i­mate, sea so n, a nd operati ng conditions th at exi st where the vehicle is used. Make sure the oil meets
th e quality standard listed table on page 248.
Engine oils arc consta ntl y being improved. swa gen dea lers and Service Facilities are alway s regarding new deve lopments and chan ges. Volk s wagen therefore recommends that
yo u have the e ngin e oil changed by an authorized Volk swagen dealer or an author ized Volk swagen
Service Facility.
Note
If yo u need to add oil and there is none avail­
a bl e that meets th e Volkswagen oil quality stan­dard your en gi ne requires, you may add a to ta l of no more than 1/2 quart of a high-quality
or SAE
Us e only a high quality engine oil that ex­pressly complies with the Volkswagen oil standard specified fo r your ve hicle's engine. U si ng any o ther oil can cause serious engin e damage that will not be cove re d b y any swagen Limited Warranty.
Do not mix any lubricants or other additives
into the motor oil. Doing so can cause engine damage! Damage caused by these types of addi­tives are not covered by any Volkswagen Limited

the oil leve l agai n befo re addin g more
oil. Never add much
O nce th e oil leve l is at least in the ( B) ra nge
oil dip stick all th e way. oil could le ak out while th e en­
g in e is running.
Afte r r efilling, car efully put the oil ca p back on and scre w it shut. Oth erwi se, oil could leak out whi le th e e ngine is running.
E ngin e oi l ca n ignite
when it tou ches hot e n g ine parts. T hi s can ca use fires, burns, and other se­vere injuri es.
Always make sure that the engin e oil fill er cap is screwed on tightly afte r adding oil so that oil cannot leak out ont o hot engin e parts whe n
th e vehicle is moving .
Engine
first r ea d and no te th e introductory information and h eed o n pa ge 247.
To prov ide effective lubricatio n and coolin g for in­
ternal engine parts, all internal combustio n en­
g ines use some oil. consumption varies from
e ng in e to engi ne and may ch an ge ove r th e life of th e e ng in e. Engi nes te nd to use m ore oil during th e
br eak- in peri od th an they do afterwa rd, when oil
co nsumption has s ta bili zed.
rat e of oil consump­
tion dep e nd s on oil quality a s well as v isc osity, e n ­
g in e s pee d (rpm), outs ide tempe rature, road con­dit io ns, the amount o f oil dilution caused b y con­densed water o r fuel residue, and oxidation of th e
o il. consumptio n may in crease with eng in e
wea r ove r time, until re pla cement of worn eng ine part s may beco me necessary .
Volk swage n recommends th at yo u to c heck the en­gin e oil leve l
vehicl e may consum e engine oil d e­pending o n seve ral var iables. A maximum of I quart per miles (!lite r km ) would be
Care, maintenance
Note
D o not start the engine if lhe e ngine oil leve l is
above range expert ass is ta n ce! Otl1envise the ca talytic con verter and engine ca n be dam­
aged!
W hen changin g or topping ofT make sure that you pour the into the correct res­ervoir s. Addi ng incorrec t
The e ngine oil leve l s h o uld never be above ran ge oil ca n be drawn in by
th e cra nkcase ventilation syste m and ent er th e at­
mo sphere via th e e xh au st sys te m .
co nside red normal. New vehicles may consume
m ore oil over th e km).
T he oi l pressure warning light is not an indicator oflowe ng in e oillevel.lfthe warning light stays on or whil e d rivin g (above rpm), a chime
will sound. It indica tes that the oil pressure is too
low. th e engine immediately, check the en­gine oil leve l and add oil if n ecessary . If the engine oil leve l is normal , but the continues to do not kee p driving or let t11e e ngin e idl e, as damage may occur.
If you believe your en g in e uses to o much oil, Volk­swagen recommends havin g th e vehicle checked b y an auth orized Volkswagen dea le r or an ri ze d Volk swagen Service Facility. Keep in mind that accurate measurem ent of oi l consumption re­quires great ca re and m ay take som e time. au­
t h orized Volkswa gen d ea ler and a uthorized Volk­
s wa gen Facility have instru ctions for how to m eas ure oi l co nsumptio n acc ura te ly.
Dep e ndin g on the wa y th e ve hicl e is dri ven an d th e ope ratin g conditions, oil consump­
t ion can be up to I quart per mil es (!liter per

Engine coo la nt
Introduction
In thi s section you'll find informat ion on the fol­lowing:
Warning
engine coolant and topping off . . . 255
Never do a ny wor k on the coo lant system unless
you
-know exactly ho w to carry out the job,
-have the correct tec hnical informa tion and
th e proper to ols, supplie s, and operating
fluid s, a nd
-are familiar with the necessary safet y
pr eca utions
Traile r page 152
fo r work ing in the e ngine com­partment page 242
Part s, acce ssories , re pair s and modification s
Engin e coo lant is poisonous!
Always keep the coolant in its origi nal con­
t ainer stored in a safe place .
To reduce the risk of poisoning, never store engine coolant in empty food or beverag e con­tainers or in any other containers that might mislead someone into drinking from them.
Always keep engine coolant out of reach of c hildr en.
Alway s make sure there is enough of tJ1e cor­
re ct coo lant additive to provid e proper anti­
fr eeze protection at the cold es t temperatures that can be expected where the vehicle will be used .
At extremely cold temperatures, the coolant could freeze, causing the vehicle to break down.
The heater would also not work, and vehicle oc­
cupants could be without protection at sub­freezing temperatures.
leaking operat ing
fluids and dispose of t h e m properly in acco rdance
w ith applicable environmental laws and regulat ion s .
Warning light and engine coolant temperature gauge
Fig . 153 E ngine coolant temperature gauge in the in­str umen t Engi ne cold;® Normal tempera­ture range;© Warn ing zone.
Core, maintenance
first read and note th e introduct ory information and heed th e on page 252.
normal driving conditi ons, th e needle
s h o uld be in the middl e of th e ga uge. The temper­
ature may go high er w hen th e e ngine is w orking
h ard, espec iall y in hut
When the igni tion is sw itch ed on , seve ra l warnin g and indicator light s co me o n bri efly fo r a function
c h ec k. The y go our after a few seconds.
Th e fo
llow ing table explains w ha t t o do if th e en ­
gine coolant warn ing does no t go out a few secon ds after the engine is s tart ed or light s up or
s tart s fla sh ing while driving.

Temperature
Lights up gauge needle response page252,
fig . 153
off the road and s top as soon as you can do so safely.
the engin e
coolant l eve l and add e ngine coolant if page 255. th e e ngin e coo lant E ng in e coolant tempera-
leve l is correc t o r the p roble m continues Warning zone l
u re too high. afte r addin g coo la nt and driv ing a sh ort tance, do not drive an y farther.
sary 341.
th e engin e coo la nt level after the en-
gine has coole d d own and add en gine
coolant i f page 255. the engine coo la nt leve l is correc t or tl1e problem continues after adding coolant, do
En gin e coolant leve l too not drive a ny farther.
Facility.
These in struction s apply only when the coolant temperature stays in the normal
rang e. immediately if the needle goes
in to
the red warning zone
Eng ine coo lant system the nearest authorized Volk swagen .. malfunction. dealer or authorized Volkswage n
Do not drive at hi gh en g in e s peeds or with heavy en g in e loads until the engine warm s
cause
Engi ne coo lant syste m malfun ction .
the engine compartment 252 253