2013 VOLKSWAGEN TOUAREG maintenance

d Make sure that the floor mat on the driver side is properly fastened and cannot interfere with the
pedals.
d 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.
d 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.
d Only transport as many passengers as there are seats and safety belts available.
d Never drive if your driving ability has been impaired, for example by medication, alcohol or illegal
drugs.
d 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.
d Always adapt your speed and driving style to visibility, weather, road, and traffic conditions.
d Always obey traffic laws and speed limits.
d On long trips make frequent rest stops – at least once every 2 hours.
d Secure animals in the vehicle with a system that corresponds to the animals weight and size.
.WARNING
Always observe posted speed limits and use common sense. Your good judgment can mean
the difference between arriving safely at your destination and being seriously 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

d Are engine oil and other operating fluids that meet Volkswagen quality and performance require-
ments available where you will be driving? For more information, please see ⇒ Booklet Warranty
and Maintenance.
d Does the factory installed navigation system work in the countries where you will be driving, and is
navigation data available?
d Are special or heavy-duty tires necessary for the kind of driving expected?
.NOTICE
Volkswagen is not responsible for mechanical damage that may result from substandard fuel
or service or the unavailability of Genuine Volkswagen parts.
Driving through water on roads

x OR: The rear hatch is opened.
x OR: The vehicle is mechanically unlocked using the emergency vehicle key.
Convenience features
To use the convenience closing feature to close all power windows, hold your finger on the lock sensor
surface ⇒ fig. 25 (2) on the outside of the door handle for a few seconds until the windows close.
Remove your finger from the lock sensor surface (2) to stop the function. If you touch the unlock
sensor surface 1 on the inside of the door handle immediately after releasing the lock sensor surface 1
(arrow), all of the windows will open (safety function). Pinch protection is active during convenience
closing of the windows.
The settings in the Settings – Convenience menu determine which doors open when the door
handle sensor surface is touched.
.CAUTION
If a valid vehicle key is within range of the rear hatch, the Easy Open feature can deploy unin-
tentionally in some cases and open the rear hatch: for example, when sweeping the ground
or floor below the rear bumper, if there is a strong stream of water or steam or when CARry-
ing out maintenance or repairs around the rear bumper. If the rear hatch opens unintentional-
ly, it can injure anyone or damage anything in its way.
x Never leave a valid vehicle key within range of the rear hatch unattended.
.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. 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 succes-
sion.
.The door may not open if the outside and inside door handles are used at the same time.
.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.
.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 emergency key.
.The driver message Key not in range appears in the instrument cluster display if there is
no remote control 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 cell 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.

.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 (1,000 km) .
.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.

Electrical load Maximum power
Taillights total 54 watts

.WARNING
x An improperly installed or incorrect trailer hitch can cause a trailer to separate from the
tow vehicle and cause serious personal injuries.
x If you don't have to tow a trailer any more, remove the entire trailer hitch. Always seal all
bolt holes to prevent water and deadly exhaust fumes from getting into the vehicle.
.NOTICE
x If the trailer lights are not connected properly, the vehicle's electronics may be damaged.
x If the trailer uses too much electricity, the vehicle's electronics may be damaged.
x Never connect the electrical system for the trailer directly to the electrical connections for
the rear lights or to any other unsuitable power sources. Use only a suitable connector to
provide power to the trailer.
.If you tow a trailer frequently, Volkswagen recommends having the vehicle serviced between
the regular maintenance and inspection intervals because of the extra load it has to pull.
.In some countries an additional fire extinguisher must be CARried if the total weight of the trailer
exceeds 5,512 lbs. (2,500 kg).
Hitching up and connecting a trailer

Changing brake fluid
Brake fluid must be changed according to the service schedule in your ⇒ Booklet Warranty and
Maintenance. Have the brake fluid checked by an authorized Volkswagen dealer or an authorized
Volkswagen Service Facility. Refill only with new brake fluid that meets the standards listed above.
.WARNING
Brake failure and reduced brake performance can be caused by not having enough brake
fluid in the reservoir or by old or incorrect brake fluid.
x Check the brake system and brake fluid level regularly.
x Always change the brake fluid according to the service schedule in your
⇒ Booklet Warranty and Maintenance.
x Hard braking with old brake fluid may cause vapor lock. Vapor lock reduces braking
performance, increases stopping distances and can even cause total brake failure.
x Always make sure that only the correct brake fluid is used. Only use brake fluid that
expressly conforms to VW Standard 501 14 or, if it is not available, only use a high-quality
brake fluid that conforms to U.S. Standard FMVSS 116 DOT 4 requirements.
x Using another brake fluid, or one that is not of high quality, can impair the function of the
brake system and reduce its effectiveness. If the container does not say that the brake fluid
complies with VW Standard 501 14, or U.S. Standard FMVSS 116 DOT 4, do not use it.
x The brake fluid must be new.
.WARNING
Brake fluid is poisonous.
x To reduce the risk of poisoning, never use food, beverage or other non-original containers
to store brake fluid. Someone might be misled by the original label on the container, or by the
shape of the container, and drink the brake fluid. This could occur even if you relabel the
container as “brake fluid.”
x Only store brake fluid in the closed, original container and keep it out of the reach of
children.
.NOTICE
Brake fluid will damage vehicle paint, plastic parts and tires. Wipe any brake fluid off vehicle
paint and other vehicle parts immediately.
.Brake fluid can pollute the environment. Brake fluid that has leaked out must be collected and
disposed of properly, following all applicable environmental regulations.

The high-voltage battery is under the luggage compartment floor ⇒ fig. 255.
Cooling the high-voltage battery
There are ventilation slots under the rear seat bench that provide the high-voltage battery with cool
air. The ventilation area under the rear seat bench ⇒ fig. 256 must not be blocked or covered ⇒ .
Maintenance of the high-voltage battery
Other than taking the vehicle in for scheduled maintenance to an authorized Volkswagen dealer or an
authorized Volkswagen Service Facility that is qualified to do work on hybrid vehicles, there is nothing
that the vehicle driver has to do to maintain the high-voltage battery.
The maintenance connection for the high-voltage battery is under the luggage compartment floor
under an orange cover. This connection is only for scheduled maintenance, which must be performed
only by specially trained service technicians. There is no need to remove the connector at any time
when the vehicle is being used ⇒  .
.WARNING
The high-voltage hybrid electrical system is dangerous and can cause burns, other serious
personal injuries, electrocution and death.
x Never open, service, repair, or disconnect the high-voltage hybrid battery.
x Never touch or let jewelry or other metal objects contact high-voltage cables or the high-
voltage battery and battery poles, especially if the cables, battery, or battery poles have been
damaged in a crash or in some other way.
x Always have work on the hybrid electrical system and on systems that could be indirectly
affected by it done by qualified, trained technicians, who have the know-how, experience,
documentation, and tools to do the work safely.
.WARNING
Failure to heed warning lights and instrument cluster text messages can cause the vehicle to
break down in traffic and result in a collision and serious personal injury.
x Never ignore warning lights or text WARNINGS.
x Always stop the vehicle as soon as it is safe to do so.
.NOTICE
x Failure to heed warning lights or text WARNINGS can result in vehicle damage.
x If the 12 Volt battery is disconnected or dead or has been replaced, there is a possibility
that the combustion engine will not automatically switch off when the vehicle is powered by
the electric motor. If this situation persists for several days, take the vehicle to an authorized
Volkswagen dealer or an authorized Volkswagen Service Facility that is qualified to do work on
hybrid vehicles.
x Never transport water or other liquids or fluids in open containers, such as an aquarium. If
liquid is spilled in the luggage compartment, this can cause short circuits or damage the high-
voltage battery.
.NOTICE
Never block or cover the cooling air vents for the high-voltage hybrid battery under the rear
seat. Blocking or covering these vents can damage the high-voltage battery.

In vehicles with selective catalytic reduction, a special urea solution (AdBlue) is injected into the
exhaust system ahead of the catalytic converter in order to reduce nitrogen oxide emissions.
AdBlue is stored in a separate tank of the vehicle and should be refilled under normal driving
conditions during service according to the maintenance schedule. The AdBlue tank holds slightly less
than 5 gallons (20 liters).
AdBlue consumption depends on the individual driving style, system operating temperature, and
outside air temperature. Therefore in rare cases AdBlue may have to be refilled between service
events.
Starting with a remaining range of about 1500 miles (2400 km), a reminder to refill AdBlue is displayed
in the instrument cluster. If you ignore the last refill reminder, it is impossible to start the engine again
after it is switched off
Volkswagen recommends that you have the AdBlue tank refilled by an authorized Volkswagen dealer
or an authorized Volkswagen Service Facility. If no authorized Volkswagen dealer or authorized
Volkswagen Service Facility or other qualified workshop is available, you should refill at least 1.5
gallons (5.7 liters) of AdBlue (3 AdBlue bottles). Refill only the type of AdBlue that Volkswagen has
explicitly approved for your vehicle.
If warning lights ~ and d both come on together, there is a malfunction. Volkswagen recommends that
you take the vehicle to the closest qualified workshop.
AdBlue® is a registered trademark of the German Association of the Automotive Industry (VDA) in the
United States, Germany, the European Union and in other countries.
Refilling AdBlue

Fig. 279 Luggage compartment with collapsible spare tire and AdBlue tank.

Fig. 280 AdBlue tank with filler neck cap and refill container.