¥ Make sure that the floormat on the driver side is properly fastened and cannot interfere with the pedals.
¥ Assume a proper seating position before the vehicle starts to move and keep this position while driving. Make sure that all passengers do the same, Adjusting the seating position.
¥ Properly fasten your safety belt before driving the vehicle and wear your safety belt properly at all times while driving. Make sure that all passengers do the same,Safety belts.
¥ Only transport as many passengers as there are seats and safety belts available.
¥ Never drive if your driving ability has been impaired, for example by medication, alcohol or illegal drugs.
¥ Never let passengers or phone calls distract you while driving, and never take your attention off the road while using vehicle software or adjusting vehicle equipment or accessories.
¥ Always adapt your speed and driving style to visibility, weather, road, and traffic conditions.
¥ Always obey traffic laws and speed limits.
¥ On long trips make frequent rest stops – at least once every 2 hours.
¥ Secure animals in the vehicle with a system that corresponds to weight and size.
WARNING
Always observe traffic rules and posted speed limits and use common sense. Your good judgment can mean the difference between arriving safely at your destination and being seri-ously injured in a crash or other kind of accident.
Regular service and maintenance of your vehicle is important both for operational and driving safety and to help prolong your vehicle's service life. Always follow the scheduled maintenance inter-
vals in the ⇒ booklet Warranty and Maintenance, especially for changing the brake fluid. Hard use, frequent stop-and-go driving, driving in very dusty areas, trailer towing, and other factors may make it necessary to have the vehicle serviced more frequently. Ask an authorized Volkswagen dealer or an authorized Volkswagen Service Facility for more information.
Driving in other countries
All turn signals flash twice to confirm that the vehicle has been unlocked and once to confirm that it has been locked.
If the vehicle was unlocked and within the next few seconds neither a door nor the luggage compart-ment lid has been opened, the vehicle is automatically locked again.
Unlocking and opening doors (Keyless Entry)
x Grasp the door handle of the driver or front passenger door so that you touch the unlocking sensor surface (A).
x Open the door.
Closing and locking doors (Keyless Exit)
x Switch the ignition off.
x Close the driver door.
x Touch the sensor surface in the door handle on the driver or front passenger door (B). The vehicle is locked. The door being locked must be closed.
Unlocking and locking the luggage compartment lid
If the vehicle is locked and a valid remote control vehicle key is within range ⇒ fig. 22 of the luggage compartment lid, it unlocks automatically when opened.
Open and close the luggage compartment lid as you would a standard luggage compartment lid, Luggage compartment lid.
The luggage compartment lid locks automatically when it is closed except in the following situations:
x The vehicle is completely unlocked.
x When an authorized remote control vehicle key is inside the vehicle.
Locking with a second vehicle key
If a remote control vehicle key is inside the passenger compartment, the vehicle can be locked from the outside only if a second valid remote control vehicle key is within range.
When the vehicle is locked from the outside, the keyless go (starting) function of any keys left in the passenger compartment will be deactivated, Starting and stopping the engine. A key that was inside the vehicle when it was locked from the outside is reactivated by pressing the 0button on the deac-
tivated key ⇒ fig. 19.
Automatic deactivation of sensors
If the vehicle has not been unlocked or locked for a longer period of time, the proximity sensors in the passenger door are automatically deactivated.
If a sensor on the door handle of a locked vehicle is activated too often, for instance by a bush or hedge that rubs against the vehicle, the sensors in the door handle on that side of the vehicle are switched off for a short time.
The door handle sensors become active again if one of the following events occurs:
x A short time has passed.
x OR: The vehicle is unlocked using the 0button in the remote control vehicle key.
x OR: The luggage compartment lid is opened.
x OR: The vehicle is mechanically unlocked with the vehicle key.
Convenience features
Your vehicle may be equipped with the convenience closing feature.
To use the convenience closing feature to close all power windows and the sunroof, hold your finger on the lock sensor surface on the outside of the door handle for a few seconds until the windows and sunroof close.
Remove your finger from the lock sensor surface ⇒ fig. 23 (B) to stop the function. If you touch the unlock sensor surface (A) on the inside of the door handle immediately after releasing the lock sensor surface (B) (arrow), all of the windows will open (safety function).
Pinch protection is active during convenience closing of the windows and the power sunroof.
NOTICE
The door handle sensor surfaces can be activated by a strong stream of water or steam if a valid vehicle key is within range of the vehicle.
x All windows may open if you turn the spray of water or steam away from and then back onto the door handle sensor surface in quick succession. If at least one power window is opened and the sensor is continuously activated, convenience closing is started.
The door may not open if the outside and inside door handles are used at the same time.
If the vehicle battery or the battery in the remote control vehicle key is weak or dead, it might not be possible to unlock and lock the vehicle using Keyless Access. The vehicle can still be manually locked or unlocked with the key bit, Manually unlocking and locking the driver door.
The driver message No Key appears in the instrument cluster display if there is no remote con-trol vehicle key inside the vehicle or if the system does not recognize the remote control vehicle key. The key may not be recognized, for example, if it is covered by something that interferes with the signal (such as a briefcase), or if the remote control vehicle key battery is weak. Electronic devices such as mobile phones can also interfere with the signal.
Dirt on the door handles that contains a lot of salt (especially in winter) can affect the way the door handle sensors work. Cleaning the door handles can help with this problem, Exterior care and cleaning.
If the automatic transmission is not in Park (P) position, the electronic steering column lock will not lock and the vehicle will not lock via sensors in the front door handles or the remote control vehicle key.
Anti-theft alarm system
WARNING
Improper use of the trailer hitch can cause accidents and injuries. An improperly installed, incorrect, or damaged trailer hitch can cause the trailer to separate from the towing vehicle and cause serious personal injuries.
x Only use an undamaged, properly mounted trailer hitch.
x Never repair or modify the trailer hitch.
x To reduce the risk of injury in rear-end collisions, and the risk to pedestrians and cyclists when the vehicle is parked, always remove the ball mount when you are not towing a trailer.
x Never install a “weight distributing” or “load equalizing” trailer hitch on your vehicle. The vehicle was not designed for these kinds of trailer hitches. The trailer hitch attachment can fail, causing the trailer to tear loose from the vehicle.
WARNING
Improper trailer towing can cause loss of vehicle control and serious personal injury.
x Driving with a trailer and carrying heavy or large things can change the way the vehicle handles, increase the distance it needs to stop safely, and cause accidents.
x Always secure the load properly with suitable and undamaged straps so that the load will not shift.
x Always adapt your speed and driving to the heavier load and the weight distribution in the vehicle. Take road, weather, traffic, and visibility conditions into account as well.
x Reduce your speed even more than you otherwise would when going downhill and under unfavorable load, weather, or wind conditions.
x Trailers with a high center of gravity tip more easily than trailers with a low center of gravity.
x Always avoid sudden maneuvers and hard braking.
x Be especially careful when passing other vehicles.
x Reduce speed immediately if the trailer shows the slightest sign of swaying.
x Never try to stop the swaying by accelerating.
x Always obey speed limits. In some areas, the speed limits for vehicles towing trailers are lower than for vehicles without trailers. Never drive faster than 50 mph (80 km/h; under exceptional circumstances 60 mph - 100 km/h) when towing a trailer. This applies even if the local speed limit is higher.
If you are driving a new vehicle or a vehicle with a new or rebuilt engine, do not tow a trailer during the break-in period, about 600 miles (1000 km), Parts, accessories, repairs, and modifications.
If you tow a trailer, your vehicle may need maintenance more often because of the extra load it has to move.
When you are not towing, remove the trailer hitch ball. This helps keep the trailer hitch from causing damage to your vehicle and to others if your vehicle is hit from behind.
Some models need a trailer hitch to tow or tow-start other vehicles. You may want to always carry the ball mount in the vehicle after it has been removed. Be sure to stow it securely.