Rotating tires
To help ensure even wear on all tires, regular tire rotation according to the diagram ⇒ fig. is
recommended. In this way all tires can have about the same service life.
Volkswagen recommends that you have your tires rotated by an authorized Volkswagen dealer or
authorized Volkswagen Service Facility.
Tires more than 6 years old
Tires age even if they are not being used. Physical and chemical processes reduce tire strength and
performance and cause them to harden and become brittle. Old tires can fail suddenly and without
warning.
Volkswagen recommends replacing tires that are 6 years and older. This also applies to tires that look
new (including the tire on the compact spare wheel) or that seem to still be usable with tread depth
that has not yet reached the legal minimum depth ⇒ .
The age of each tire can be determined with the manufacturing date that is part of the U.S. DOT tire
identification number (TIN)
Tire storage
Mark tires before removing them to help make sure that the previous location (left, right, front, rear)
and rolling direction can be maintained when remounting them. Store tires in a cool, dry and preferably
dark place. Do not store tires mounted on wheels standing up.
Tires not mounted on wheels should be covered to help protect them from dirt and stored vertically
(sitting on the tread).
WARNING
Aggressive fluids and materials can cause visible and invisible tire damage that can cause
tire blowouts.
x Always keep chemicals, oils, grease, fuels, braking fluids and other aggressive
substances away from tires.
WARNING
Tires age even if they are not being used and can fail suddenly, especially at high speeds,
causing loss of vehicle control, accidents, and severe personal injuries.
x Tires that are more than 6 years old can be used only in an emergency and even then only
with special care and at low speed.
Always dispose of old tires in accordance with legal requirements.
Wheel rims
Stowing the replaced wheel
One of the vehicles normal wheels will not fit in the well for the compact spare wheel in the floor of the
luggage compartment. Therefore, in the event of a flat tire, the wheel which was changed must be
secured, for example, with suitable straps in the luggage compartment.
Open the rear hatch, raise the entire luggage compartment floor, press the retaining pin (1) to the right
and slowly lower the luggage compartment floor.
Put the wheel you took off the vehicle into the spare wheel well so that the center hole of the rim is
aligned with the threaded pin.
Turn the threaded retainer in the center of the compact spare wheel (2) clockwise until the wheel
replaced is securely in place.
If necessary, return the vehicle tool kit to its location in the luggage compartment.
Raise the floor covering and release the retaining pin, then fold the floor covering back down onto the
floor of the luggage compartment.
Close the rear hatch.
Differences between the road tires and the compact spare
The compact spare is different in design from the road tires and must be used only in the event of a
flat tire, only for a brief time, and only when driving with extra caution ⇒ .
Replace it with a tire matching the others on your vehicle as soon as possible.
Please heed the following:
x Do not drive faster than 50 mph (80 km/h)!
x Avoid full-throttle acceleration, hard braking and fast cornering!
x Do not use snow chains on the compact spare wheel
x After installing the compact spare tire, check the tire pressure as soon as possible
Check the tire inflation pressure of the compact spare whenever you check the tire pressure of the
road wheels, at least once a month. Inflate a compact spare tire to the cold tire pressure specified for
the compact spare on the tire pressure label or on a separate label for the compact spare, if there is
one.
