Cleaning upholstery on seat cushions with seat heating, electrically
adjustable seats, or seats containing airbag components
Airbag-related components and electrical connectors may be installed in the driver seat, passenger
seat and sometimes also in the rear outer seats. Seat cushions or backrests that are damaged,
incorrectly cleaned or treated, or that become wet, may cause damage to the vehicle electrics or
trigger a fault in the airbag system ⇒.
Electrical components and connectors are installed in electrically adjustable seats and seat
cushions with seat heating. These can be damaged if cleaned or treated incorrectly ⇒. This can
also result in damage to other parts of the vehicle electrics.
For this reason, please follow these cleaning guidelines:
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However, slight colour variations will arise in normal use.
Mild soap solution: two tablespoons neutral soap diluted in one litre of water.
Cleaning leatherette upholstery
First read and observe the introductoryinformation and safety warnings⇒
Introduction
Please observe the following notes prior to cleaning the leatherette upholstery ⇒ Cleaning
upholstery on seat cushions with seat heating, electrically adjustable seats, or seats containing
airbag components.
Only use water and neutral detergents to clean the leatherette upholstery.
Cleaning stowage compartments, drink holders and ash trays
Fig. 128 In the centre console: stowage compartment with drink holder
Fig. 129 Ashtray with snuffer, removed and opened
First read and observe the introductoryinformation and safety warnings⇒
Introduction
Cleaning stowage compartments and drink holders
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Snow chains are available in a range of sizes for a vehicle type.
Accessories, modifications, repairs and renewal of
parts
Introduction
This chapter contains information on the followingsubjects:
⇒ Running-in
⇒ Accessories and parts
⇒ Service fluids and consumables
⇒ Repairs and technical modifications
⇒ Repairs and faults in the airbag system
⇒ Retrofitting two-way radios
⇒ Information stored in the control units
⇒ Using a mobile telephone in the vehicle without a connection to the external aerial
⇒ Portable navigation device
⇒ Vehicle lifting points
Additional information and warnings:
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Service fluids and consumables
First read and observe the introductoryinformation and safety warnings⇒
Introduction
All service fluids and consumables, e.g. toothed belts, tyres, coolant, engine oil, spark plugs and
vehicle batteries, are being constantly developed. For this reason, service fluids and consumables
should be replaced at a qualified workshop. A Volkswagen dealership is always kept up to date on
innovations.
Leaking service fluids can pollute the environment. Spilt service fluids must be collected in
suitable containers and disposed of properly and with respect for the environment.
Repairs and technical modifications
First read and observe the introductoryinformation and safety warnings⇒
Introduction
Repairs and modifications must always be carried out according to Volkswagen specifications⇒
.
Unauthorised modifications to the electronic components or software in the vehicle may cause
faults. As the electronic components are linked together in networks, these faults may indirectly
affect the working of other systems. This can seriously impair safety, lead to excessive wear of
components, and also invalidate the type approval for the vehicle.
The Volkswagen dealership cannot be held liable for any damage caused by technical
modifications and/or work performed incorrectly.
The Volkswagen dealership cannot be held liable for any damage caused by technical
modifications and/or work performed incorrectly, nor are these covered by the Volkswagen
guarantee.
Volkswagen recommends that all repairs and technical modifications are performed by an
authorised Volkswagen dealership using Volkswagen Genuine Parts.
Vehicles with special auxiliary equipment or body parts
The manufacturer of these components must ensure that these parts (fittingsyf D G K H U H W R W K H
stipulated environmental laws and regulations, particularly the EU directive 2000/53/EC concerning
end-of-life vehicles and EU directive 2003/11/EC concerning the restriction on the marketing and
use of certain dangerous substances and preparations.
Incorrectly performed repairs or modifications to your vehicle can impair the effectiveness of
the airbags, cause faults, accidents and fatal injury.
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The vehicle owner should keep all assembly documentation for these auxiliary fittings, and pass it
on to any scrapping company later engaged. In this way, environmentally compatible disposal
should be guaranteed for all vehicles, including refitted vehicles.
Windscreen repairs
To function properly, some items of equipment require a camera or sensor, which is located on the
inside of the windscreen near the interior mirror. If the windscreen in the viewing field of the camera
or sensors has been damaged, e.g. by stone impact, the windscreen must be replaced. Repairing
the crack can lead to malfunction or functional faults in the equipment.
After changing the windscreen, the camera and sensors must be set up and calibrated by a
qualified workshop.
Repairs and faults in the airbag system
First read and observe the introductoryinformation and safety warnings⇒
Introduction
Repairs and modifications must always be carried out according to Volkswagen specifications⇒
.
Modifications and repairs to the front bumper, the doors, the front seats, the roof, or the bodywork
should be carried out by a qualified workshop. System components and airbag system sensors can
be located on these vehicle components.
If you work on the airbag system or remove and install parts of the system when performing other
repair work, parts of the airbag system may be damaged. The consequence may be that, in the
event of an accident, the airbag inflates incorrectly or does not inflate at all.
Regulations must be observed to ensure that the effectiveness of the airbags is not reduced and
that removed parts do not cause any injuries or environmental pollution. Qualified workshops are
familiar with these requirements.
Any modifications to the vehicle's suspension could prevent the airbag system from working
properly during a collision. For example, using tyre/rim combinations that have not been approved
by Volkswagen, lowering the vehicle, making modifications to the suspension rate including work on
the springs, struts and shock absorbers could change the forces that are measured by the airbag
sensors and sent to the electronic control unit. Some changes to the suspension could cause the
forces measured by the sensors to increase. This can lead to the airbag system being triggered in
collision scenarios where it normally would not be triggered if modifications to the suspension had
not been made. Other modifications can cause the forces measured by the sensors to decrease,
therefore preventing the airbag system from being triggered when it should have been.
Retrofitting two-way radios
First read and observe the introductoryinformation and safety warnings⇒
Introduction
Incorrect repairs and modifications can cause functional problems and damage to the vehicle
and impair the effectiveness of the driver assist systems. This can result in accidents and
severe injuries.
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Event data recorder
The vehicle is not fitted with an event data recorder.
Event data recorders temporarily store vehicle information. This provides precise information in the
event of an accident. In vehicles with an airbag system, data that might be relevant in the event of
an accident can be stored, e.g. impact speed, belt buckle status, seat positions and trigger speed.
The scope of the data is manufacturer-specific.
An event data recorder may only be fitted if the owner has approved the procedure. This is covered
by legislation in some countries.
Reprogramming control units
All data for the control of components are stored in the control units. Some convenience functions,
such as lane change flash, single door unlocking and displays, can be reprogrammed using special
workshop equipment. If this is the case, the descriptions in your vehicle wallet will no longer
correspond with the original functions. Volkswagen recommends that you have any reprogramming
confirmed in the service schedule under Workshop comments.
Information about possible reprogramming can be obtained from the Volkswagen dealership.
Reading the vehicle's event memory
A diagnostic interface for reading the event memories is located in the vehicle interior ⇒. Data
relating to the function and status of the electronic control units are stored in the event memory.
Additional information on the stored data is available from qualified workshops.
The diagnosis interface is located behind near the fuse box in the footwell on the driver side.
The event memory should only be read and reset by a qualified workshop.
After a fault has been rectified, the information in the memory pertaining to the fault is deleted.
Other memory content is overwritten on an on-going basis.
Using a mobile telephone in the vehicle without a connection to the
external aerial
First read and observe the introductoryinformation and safety warnings⇒
Introduction
Both during telephone calls and in standby mode, mobile telephones transmit and receive radio
waves, which may also be termed "high-frequency energy". Current scientific literature warns us
that radio waves can be harmful to human beings if they exceed certain limits. Government bodies
and international committees have introduced threshold values and guidelines to ensure that
electromagnetic radiation produced by mobile telephones does not pose a hazard to health.
However, there is no proven scientific evidence that demonstrates that cordless telephones are
absolutely safe.
For this reason, some experts are calling for more precautions to be taken in the use of mobile
telephones, by taking steps to reduce the level of personal exposure to electromagnetic radiation.
If a mobile telephone that is not connected to the vehicle's external aerial is used inside the vehicle,
the level of electromagnetic radiation could be higher than when the mobile telephone is connected
to an integrated aerial or any other external aerial.
If the vehicle is fitted with a suitable hands-free unit which enables the use of innumerable
additional functions of Bluetooth compatible mobile telephones, this will satisfy the legal
requirements in many countries which permit the use of a mobile telephone in a vehicle only if a
hands-free unit is used.
The hands-free system of the portable navigation device (delivered by Volkswagenyf L Q \ R X U Y H K L F O H
has been developed for mobile telephones that are compatible with Bluetooth⇒ Portable
navigation device. Mobile telephones must be located in a suitable telephone holder or be stored
securely in the vehicle. If a telephone holder is used it must be securely attached to the base plate.
This is the only way to ensure that the mobile telephone is securely attached to the dash panel and
always within reach of the driver. Depending on the hands-free system, the connection between the
mobile telephone and the external aerial is established either via the telephone holder or via an
existing Bluetooth connection between the mobile telephone and the vehicle.
Connecting the mobile telephone is to a telephone aerial integrated in the vehicle or to an external
telephone aerial reduces the electromagnetic radiation generated by the telephone which could
affect the human body. Using an aerial also improves the quality of the signal.
Incorrect use of the diagnostic interface can cause faults, which can result in accidents and
serious injuries.
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