2015 VOLKSWAGEN GOLF GTI warning

If the engine compartment is extremely dirty, have it cleaned professionally by your authorized Volkswagen dealer or authorized Volkswagen Service Facility.
Plenum chamber
The plenum chamber is located in the engine compartment between windshield and engine, under a perforated cover. Outside air is taken into the vehicle interior from the plenum chamber via the climate control system.
Regularly remove leaves and other loose objects from the plenum chamber cover by hand or with a vacuum cleaner.
WARNING
Injuries, scalding, electric shock, accidents, and fire hazards can occur while working on the engine or in the engine compartment!
x Before working in the engine compartment, be sure to familiarize yourself with the
necessary procedures and generally accepted safety precautions ⇒ Working in the engine compartment.
x Volkswagen recommends having the work performed by an authorized Volkswagen dealer or authorized Volkswagen Service Facility.
NOTICE
Spraying or pouring water (for example, with a power washer) into the plenum chamber can cause severe damage to the vehicle.
Wash the engine compartment only in special wash bays so that the oily dirt and fuel residue that are washed off the vehicle will not enter the sewage system. In some areas it illegal to wash the engine compartment anywhere other than at such specified locations.

these seat surfaces and backrests can damage the vehicle electrical system and prevent the airbag
system from working properly ⇒ .
Electrical components and connectors that could be damaged by incorrect cleaning or handling are
installed in power seats and heated seats ⇒ . This can also result in damage to other parts of the vehicle electrical system.
For this reason, read and follow these cleaning instructions:
x Do not use power washers, steam cleaners, or cooling spray.
x Do not use detergent pastes or mild detergent solutions.
x Do not wet the surface completely.
x Only use cleaning products approved by Volkswagen.
x If you have questions or concerns, consult a professional cleaner.
x Before using any cleaning agent, familiarize yourself with instructions and warnings on the packaging.
x Vacuum upholstery, fabric trim, Alcantara® upholstery, and carpeting regularly with a suitable brush attachment.
x A soft sponge or a commercially available lint-free microfiber cloth may be used for general
cleaning ⇒ .
x Clean Alcantara® surfaces with a damp cotton or wool cloth or a commercially available lint-free
microfiber cloth ⇒ .
Upholstery and fabric trim with light generalized soiling can be cleaned with a commercially available dry-foam cleaner.
If the upholstery and fabric trim pieces are heavily soiled, see your authorized Volkswagen dealer or authorized Volkswagen Service Facility before you begin cleaning to learn about suitable cleaning options. If necessary, have the cleaning done by a professional.
Cleaning upholstery on non-heated seats, manual seats, or seats without airbag components
x Before using any cleaning agent, familiarize yourself with instructions and warnings on the packaging.
x Vacuum upholstery, fabric trim, Alcantara® upholstery, and carpeting regularly with a suitable brush attachment.
x Do not use power washers, steam cleaners, or cooling spray.
x A soft sponge or a commercially available lint-free microfiber cloth may be used for general
cleaning ⇒ .
x Clean Alcantara® surfaces with a damp cotton or wool cloth or a commercially available lint-free
microfiber cloth ⇒ .
Upholstery and fabric trim with light generalized soiling can be cleaned with a commercially available dry-foam cleaner.
If the upholstery and fabric trim pieces are heavily soiled, see your authorized Volkswagen dealer or authorized Volkswagen Service Facility before you begin cleaning to learn about suitable cleaning options. If necessary, have the cleaning done by a professional.
Treating stains
When treating stains, it may be necessary to clean the entire surface and not just the stain itself. This is especially true if the entire surface has become dirty from normal use. Otherwise, the area that is treated may become lighter than the untreated area. If you have questions or concerns, consult a professional cleaner.

Type of stain Recommended cleaning for fabric and upholstery
Water-based stains, such as coffee or fruit juice. – Moisten a sponge with water and rub the stain gently with a circular motion. – Wipe dry with an absorbent cloth.
Persistent stains, such as chocolate or make-up. – Use only Volkswagen-approved cleaning products. – If necessary, have the fabric or upholstery professionally cleaned.
Grease-based stains, such as oil, lipstick, etc. – Use only Volkswagen-approved cleaning products. – If necessary, have the fabric or upholstery professionally cleaned.

WARNING
If there is a malfunction in the airbag system, the airbag may not deploy correctly or at all, or it may deploy unexpectedly. This could cause fatal injuries.
x Have the airbag system inspected immediately by your authorized Volkswagen dealer or authorized Volkswagen Service Facility.
NOTICE
If the upholstery on power seats, heated seats, or seats with airbag components is wet, electrical components and the vehicle electrical system could be damaged.
x If the seating surface becomes soaked, have it dried and the system components checked immediately by an authorized Volkswagen dealer or authorized Volkswagen Service Facility.
x Do not use steam cleaners because the steam could cause the dirt to penetrate deeper into the fabric and make it impossible to remove.
x Power washers and cooling sprays can damage the upholstery.
NOTICE
x Clean only the carpet and floor mats with brushes. Other textile surfaces can be damaged by brushes.
x If detergent pastes or mild detergent solutions are applied with a damp cloth or sponge, the surfactants in the detergent may cause visible lines to form at the edges of the area where the detergent was applied. These lines are generally difficult or impossible to remove.
NOTICE
x Do not soak Alcantara®.
x Do not treat Alcantara® with leather care products, solvents, floor wax, shoe polish, stain remover or similar products.
x Do not use brushes for damp cleaning, because they can damage upholstery surfaces.
x Do not use a steam cleaner, because dirt will penetrate deeper into the fabric.

WARNING
Damage to safety belts reduces their overall effectiveness and increases the risk of serious personal injury and death whenever the vehicle is being used.
x Check the condition of all safety belts regularly. If you notice that the safety belt webbing, hardware, retractor, buckle, or any other part of the safety belts is damaged, immediately have an authorized Volkswagen dealer or authorized Volkswagen Service Facility replace the safety belt with the correct replacement belt for your vehicle model and model year.
x Never use chemical cleaning agents, solvents, or any substance that may damage or weaken the safety belt webbing or any other parts of the safety belt. Never let the belts come into contact with corrosive fluids or sharp objects. Otherwise, the safety belt webbing will be significantly weakened.
x After cleaning, always give the safety belts time to dry completely before letting them retract. The moisture can damage the retractor and keep it from working properly.
x Never let foreign objects or liquids get into the safety belt latch. This could prevent the belt buckles and safety belts from working properly.
x Damaged safety belts must be replaced; they cannot be repaired.
x Never try to repair a damaged safety belt yourself. Never remove or modify the safety belts in any way.
x Safety belts that were subject to stress in an accident and stretched must be replaced with a correct, new safety belt, preferably by an authorized Volkswagen dealer or authorized Volkswagen Service Facility.
x Replacement after a crash may be necessary even if a safety belt shows no visible damage. Anchorages that have been loaded must also be inspected.

WARNING
Inappropriate spare parts and accessories as well as improperly performed work, modifications and repairs can cause vehicle damage, accidents and serious personal injuries.
x Volkswagen strongly recommends to only use accessories approved by Volkswagen and Genuine Volkswagen Parts®. These parts and accessories have been evaluated by Volkswagen for their suitability, reliability and safety.
x Have repairs and vehicle modifications performed by an authorized Volkswagen dealer or authorized Volkswagen Service Facility. Authorized Volkswagen dealers and authorized Volkswagen Service Facilities have the required tools, diagnostic equipment, repair information, and trained personnel to properly replace any airbag in your vehicle and assure system effectiveness in a crash.
x Only install parts on the vehicle that are consistent with factory-installed parts with respect to design and characteristics.
x Never store, mount, or attach objects, such as cup holders or phone cradles, on or next to the airbag module covers or within the airbags deployment zones.
x Only use wheel rim/tire combinations approved by Volkswagen for the respective vehicle type.
Break-in period

Changing the vehicle's suspension system can change the way that the airbag system works in a crash. For example, using tire-rim combinations not approved by Volkswagen, lowering the vehicle, changing the stiffness of the suspension, including the springs, suspension struts, shock absorbers etc. can change the forces that are measured by the airbag sensors and sent to the electronic control unit. Some suspension changes can, for example, increase the force levels measured by the airbag sensors and sent to the electronic control unit and make the airbag system deploy in crashes in which it would not deploy if the changes had not been made. Other kinds of changes may reduce the force levels measured by the sensors and prevent the airbag from deploying when it should.
Never install leather upholstery on a vehicle that originally had cloth upholstery. Never install cloth upholstery on a vehicle that originally had leather upholstery. The capacitive passenger detection system for the Advanced Airbag system will not work properly if different upholstery is installed on the passenger seat than the upholstery originally installed on the vehicle when it was originally manufactured.
WARNING
Changing the vehicle's suspension including use of unapproved tire-rim combinations can change airbag performance and increase the risk of serious personal injury in a crash.
x Never install suspension components that do not have the same performance characteristics as the components originally installed on your vehicle.
x Never use tire-rim combinations that have not been approved by Volkswagen.
WARNING
Leaving the optional safety belt extender attached to the safety belt buckle on the front passenger seat when the safety belt is not being used will prevent the Advanced Airbag System from working properly and can increase the risk of serious personal injury in a collision.
x Leaving the extender attached to the safety belt buckle when the front seat is occupied and the safety belt is not being used will signal to the airbag control unit that the front passenger seat is occupied and that the safety belt is being used. The electronic control unit for the airbag system will then receive incorrect information that will
– cause the safety belt pretensioner to deploy unnecessarily in collisions and
– cause the front passenger airbag to deploy later in collisions in which the front airbag would otherwise be triggered earlier to help protect an unrestrained front seat passenger.
x Always remove the safety belt extender when it is not needed and stow it safely.
x Never use the safety belt extender to secure a child restraint.
WARNING
Items stored between the safety belt buckle and the center console can cause safety belt buckle to send the wrong information to the airbag control unit and prevent the Advanced Airbag System from working properly.
x Always make sure that nothing can interfere with the safety belt buckles and that they are not obstructed.

WARNING
Improper care and servicing, and improper modification and repair work, can increase the risk of personal injury and death by preventing an airbag from deploying when needed or deploying an airbag unexpectedly:
x Never repair, adjust, or change any parts of the airbag system.
x All work on the airbag system, steering wheel, instrument panel, front seats or electrical system (including the installation of audio equipment, mobile telephones and CB radios, etc.) should be performed by authorized Volkswagen dealers or authorized Volkswagen Service Facilities. They have the necessary manuals, training, and special equipment.
x The airbag system can be activated only once. After an airbag has inflated, it must be replaced.
x Use only original equipment airbags approved by Volkswagen. Have them installed by a trained technician who has the necessary tools and diagnostic equipment to properly replace any airbag in your vehicle and assure system effectiveness in a crash.
x Never permit salvaged or recycled airbags to be installed in your vehicle.
Undeployed airbag modules and safety belt pretensioners are classified as Perchlorate Material. Special handling may apply – see http://www.dtsc.ca.gov/hazardouswaste/perchlorate. Obey all applicable legal requirements regarding handling and disposal of the vehicle or parts of its restraint system, including airbag modules and safety belts with pretensioners. Authorized Volkswagen dealers and authorized Volkswagen Service Facilities are familiar with the requirements, and we recommend that you have them perform this service for you.
Applicable only in the United States
Notice about data recorded by the Event Data Recorder and vehicle
control modules

connected to the vehicle's integrated telephone antenna. The mobile phone will also not be recharged. You might also experience more dropped calls and an overall impaired quality of the connection.
Therefore we strongly recommend that you use your mobile telephone in your vehicle only when it is properly attached to an appropriate cradle mounted on a base plate on the instrument panel.
Because of the large number and variety of mobile telephones on the market and the frequency with which new models are introduced, Volkswagen does not offer cradles for mobile telephones. Please check with the manufacturer of the mobile telephone that you plan to use.
Bluetooth® is a registered trademark of Bluetooth® SIG, Inc.
WARNING
A mobile phone on the seat, instrument panel or in other places can be thrown around the inside of the vehicle during a sudden braking maneuver, a crash or other accident and injure vehicle occupants.
x Never place or attach accessories or other objects (such as cup holders, telephone brackets, note pads, navigation systems, large, heavy or bulky objects) on the doors, on the windshield, over or near the area marked “AIRBAG” on the steering wheel, instrument panel, backrests or between these areas and the occupant. Such objects could cause serious injury in a collision, especially if an airbag inflates.
WARNING
Using a mobile phone or CB radio inside the vehicle without a properly installed and separate outside antenna can be dangerous to your health and that of your passengers because the electromagnetic radiation energy that mobile phones and CB radios emit may be above established limits. This also applies if the outside antenna is not installed properly.
x Always keep the mobile phone antenna at least 8 in. (20 cm) away from pacemakers. Heart specialists advise that mobile phones can adversely affect the way pacemakers work.
x Never carry a mobile phone that is switched on in the breast pocket directly over a pacemaker.
x If you suspect there may be interference with a pacemaker or other medical device, switch the mobile phone off immediately.