2015 VOLKSWAGEN TRANSPORTER brake pads

Symbol Meaning=>& See
.......,. Front brake pads worn .
Lit up: ESC fault or switched off for system-related reasons.
Flashing: ESC/TCS is taking corrective action. =>page 269
1} TCS switched off manually.
e ABS faulty or not functioning.
0$ Rear fog light switched on. =>page 106
Lit up: vehicle lighting not working partially or completely. =>page 432
0 Lit up or flashing: catalytic converter fault.
w Lit up: glow period for a diesel engine.
Flashing: fault in engine management system.
EPC Fault in engine management system. =>page 407
Diesel particulate filter has become saturated with soot.
Only for specially equipped courier vehicles: diesel particulate filter is being regenerated.
(1) Tyre pressure too low. =>page 367 Tyre monitoring system faulty.
0 Windscreen washer fluid level too low. =>page 116
f] Fuel tank almost empty. =>page 340
Flashing: engine oil system fault.
Lit up: engine oil level too low. =>page 353
....... Fault in airbag and belt tensioner system. =>page 87
tf'
Front passenger front airbag switched off (PASSENGER AIR BAG =>page 87
f9 Ad Blue® level is low. =>page 346
/>.
with Ad Blue® system faulty or not refilled using norm-standard AdBI-ue®. =>page 346
Have the air filter replaced. => Booklet SeNice schedule
a, Electronic Immobilizer active. =>page 257
Lit up: rear axle differential lock switched on. =>page 282 .... Flashing: rear axle differential lock fault.
Adaptive cruise control (ACC) currently not available. =>page 298
Instrument cluster 17

Driving through water on roads
r"f"'n First read and observe the introductory l-J,::.U information and safety warnings & on page 33.
Please follow these rules to help prevent damage to your vehicle when driving through water, for ex-ample if the road is flooded:
• Check the depth of the water before driving through it. The water level must be no higher than the lower edge of the vehicle body
• Do not drive faster than walking speed.
• Never stop the vehicle, reverse or switch off the engine while in water.
• Oncoming vehicles will create waves that could increase the water level for your vehicle to such an extent that it is not safe to drive through the water.
• Always switch off the start/stop system manual-ly when driving through water.
A wARNING
After driving through water, mud, slush etc., the brakes may react slowly and the braking distance will be increased as the brake discs and pads will be wet, or possibly iced up in winter.
• You can "dry and de-ice" the brakes by performing careful braking manoeuvres. Make sure that you do not endanger any oth-er road users or violate any legal regulations when doing so.
• Avoid abrupt and sudden braking ma-noeuvres directly after driving through water.
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• If you drive through water, parts of the vehi-cle, such as the engine, drive train, running gear and vehicle electrics, could sustain severe damage.
• Never drive through salt water as salt can cause corrosion. Rinse all components that have been exposed to salt water immediately with fresh water. <1
Before setting off 35

Braking, stopping and parking
COl Introduction
This chapter contains information on the following subjects:
Warning and indicator lamps Handbrake ............................ .
Parking . . . . . . . ............. .
Information on the brakes ................ . Brake support systems .................. .
Switching the TCS on and off ............. .
Brake fluid ............................ .
270 271
272 272
274
276
277
The brake support systems are the anti-lock brake system (ASS), the Brake Assist system (SAS), the electronic differential lock (EDS), the traction control system (TCS) and the Electronic Stability Control (ESC).
Additional information and warnings:
• Towing a trailer 139
• Pull-away assist systems 282
• Wheels and tyres 367
• Accessories, modifications, repairs and renewal of parts 394
A WARNING
Driving with worn brake pads or with a faulty brake system can cause accidents and seri-ous Injuries.
• If the warning lamp 0 lights up either on its own or with a text message In the display of the Instrument cluster, go to a qualified workshop Immediately, have the brake pads checked and any worn brake pads replaced.
A WARNING
Incorrect parking can cause serious Injuries.
• Never remove the vehicle key from the lg-nltlon lock when the vehicle Is In motion. The steering lock may be activated and you will no longer be able to steer or control the vehl-cl e.
A WARNING (Continued)
• Never park the vehicle where parts of the exhaust system can come into contact with inflammable material underneath the vehicle, e.g. undergrowth, leaves, dry grass, spilt fuel.
• Always apply the handbrake when the ve-hicle Is parked.
• Never leave children or people requiring assistance alone In the vehicle. They could release the handbrake, move the selector lev-er or gearshift lever and thus set the vehicle In motion. This can lead to accidents and se-rious injuries.
• Always take all vehicle keys with you ev-ery time you leave the vehicle. The engine can be started and electrical equipment such as the window controls can be used which could cause serious injury.
• Never leave children or people requiring assistance alone in the vehicle. They could become trapped in the vehicle in an emergen-cy and may not be able to get themselves to safety. For example, locked vehicles may be subjected to very high or very low tempera-tures, according to season. This can cause serious Injuries and illness or fatalities, espe-cially for small children.
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• To avoid unintentional movement when parking the vehicle, first apply the handbrake and then remove your foot from the brake ped-al.
• Always take care when driving in car parks with protruding kerbstones or bollards. Objects that protrude from the ground can damage the bumper and other components when parking the vehicle. In order to avoid any damage, stop the vehicle before the wheels can touch the bollards or kerbs.
• Drive carefully through dips in the road, over driveways, ramps, kerbstones and other objects. Low-lying vehicle components such as the bumper, spoiler and parts of the running gear, engine or exhaust system could be dam-aged.
Starting the engine, changing gear and parking I 269

Warning and indicator lamps
[Q First read and observe the Introductory information and safety warnings & on page 269.
Lit up Possible cause=>&
Handbrake is applied.
Brake system fault.
Brake fluid level is too low.
Together with ABS indicator lamp El: ABS not functioning.
-...-Brake pads worn .
ESC switched off by the system.
ESC fault.
In conjunction with ABS indicator lamp CS>: ABS fault.
Vehicle battery has been reconnected.
TCS switched off manually.
In conjunction with ESC indicator lamp
((oil ABS fault.
In conjunction with warning lamp ID: ABS not functioning.
Brake pedal not depressed.
Flashes Possible cause
'• ESCITCS is taking corrective action.
Trailer stabilisation controlled.
Several warning and indicator lamps will light up briefly as a functional check when the ignition is switched on. They will go out after a few seconds.
A WARNING
Failure to observe illuminated warning lamps and text messages can lead to your vehicle breaking down in traffic, and can cause acci-dent and serious injury.
270 I While driving
Solution
f; Do not drive on I Seek expert assistance immediately =>page 273.
a:. Do not drive on I Check the brake fluid level =>page 277.
Go to a qualified workshop. The vehicle can be braked without ABS.
Go to a qualified workshop immediately. All brake pads should be checked and renewed as necessary.
Switch the ignition on and off. If necessary, drive a short distance.
Go to a qualified workshop.
Go to a qualified workshop. The vehicle can be braked without ABS.
Drive a short distance at a speed of 15 -20 km/ h (10 -12 mph). if the indicator lamp remains lit up, the vehicle should be checked by a qualified workshop =>page 362.
Switch on TCS =>page 276. Switch on TCS au-tomatically by switching the ignition off and on.
Go to a qualified workshop. The vehicle can be braked without ABS.
To select a position, press the brake pedal.
Solution
Remove foot from accelerator pedal. Adapt driv-ing style to suit road conditions.
Remove foot from accelerator pedal. If possible, do not turn the steering wheel =>page 139.
A WARNING (Continued)
• Never ignore any illuminated warning lamps or text messages.
• Stop the vehicle as soon as possible and when safe to do so.
A WARNING
Driving with poor brakes can result in acci-dents and serious injuries.

A WARNING (Continued)
• If the brake warning lamp ID does not go out, or if it lights up when driving, the brake fluid level in the reservoir is too low or there is a fault in the brake system. Stop the vehi-cle Immediately and seek expert assistance 277, Brake fluid.
• If the brake warning lamp@ lights up to-gether with the ABS indicator lamp S, the control function of the ABS may have failed. This can cause the rear wheels to lock quick-ly when you brake. Locked rear wheels can lead to a loss of control of the vehicle. If pos-sible, reduce your speed and drive carefully at low speed to the nearest qualified work-shop in order to have the brake system tes-ted. Avoid sudden braking and driving ma-noeuvres on the way.
• The ABS Is not functioning correctly if the ABS indicator lampS does not go out or comes on while the vehicle is in motion. The
Handbrake
Fig. 223 Handbrake between the front seats.
r--fl1 First read and observe the introductory L-J,::.IJ information and safety warnings & on page 269.
Applying the handbrake
• Lift the handbrake lever up fully.
• The handbrake is applied when the indicator lamp ID lights up in the instrument cluster =-page 270.
Releasing the handbrake
• Lift the handbrake lever up slightly and press the lock button ::.Fig. 223 (arrow).
• Guide the handbrake lever down whilst the lock button is pressed.
A WARNING (Continued)
vehicle can be stopped using the normal brakes only (without ABS). The protection provided by ABS is no longer available. Go to a qualified workshop as soon as possible.
• If the warning lamp 0 lights up either indi-vidually or together with a text message in the display of the instrument cluster, go to a qualified workshop immediately to have the brake pads checked or any worn brake pads replaced.
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Failure to observe illuminated indicator lamps and text messages can lead to your vehicle be-Ing damaged. A WARNING
Incorrect use of the handbrake can cause ac-cidents and serious Injuries.
• The handbrake should never be used to brake the vehicle, except in emergencies. The braking distance is considerably longer as only the rear wheels are braked. Always use the foot brake.
• Never drive the vehicle with the handbrake lightly applied. This can overheat the brakes and adversely affect the brake system. lt can also cause premature wear to the rear brake pads.
• Never activate the accelerator from the en-gine compartment if a position or gear has been selected and the engine is running. The vehicle can start to move even if the hand-brake Is applied.
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To avoid unintentional movement when parking the vehicle, first apply the handbrake and then remove your foot from the brake pedal.
r::l An acoustic warning is given if the car is driv-L.!:.J en faster than approximately 6 km/h (4 mph) with the handbrake applied. Starting the engine, changing gear and parking I 271

Parking
r--f"n First read and observe the Introductory L-J.:.lJ information and safety warnings & on page 269.
Please adhere to relevant legislation when stop-ping and parking your vehicle.
Stopping the vehicle
The steps should only be carried out in the speci-fied order.
• Stop the vehicle on a suitable surface &.
• Depress and hold the brake pedal until the en-gine has stopped.
• Apply the handbrake.
• With a DSG® dual clutch gearbox, move the se-lector lever to position P.
• Switch off the engine and take your foot off the brake pedal.
• Remove the vehicle key from the ignition lock.
• Turn the steering wheel slightly if necessary to engage the steering lock mechanism.
• With a manual gearbox, select the first gear for flat ground and uphill inclines, or the reverse gear for downhill inclines, and then release the clutch pedal 263.
• Please ensure that all occupants, in particular children, leave the vehicle.
• Take all vehicle keys with you when you leave the vehicle.
• Lock the vehicle.
Additional points for ascending and descending inclines
Before switching off the engine, turn the steering wheel so that the front wheels will roll against the kerb if the parked vehicle starts to move.
• When facing downhill, turn the wheels so that they face the kerb.
• When facing uphill, turn the wheels so that they face the centre of the road.
Information on the brakes
r--f"n First read and observe the Introductory L-J.:.lJ information and safety warnings & on page 269.
New brake pads cannot generate the full braking effect during the first 200 to 300 km and must first be "run in" &. However, you can compensate for
2721 While driv1ng
A WARNING
The components of the exhaust system be-come very hot. This can cause fires and seri-ous Injuries.
• Never park the vehicle where parts of the exhaust system can come Into contact with any Inflammable material underneath the ve-hicle, e.g. undergrowth, leaves, dry grass, split fuel.
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• To avoid unintentional movement when parking the vehicle, first apply the handbrake firmly and then remove your foot from the brake pedal.
• Always take care when driving in car parks with protruding kerbstones or bollards. Objects that protrude from the ground can damage the bumper and other components when parking the vehicle. In order to avoid any damage, stop the vehicle before the wheels can touch the bollards or kerbs.
• Drive carefully through dips in the road, over driveways, ramps, kerbstones and other objects. Low-lying vehicle components such as the bumper, spoiler and parts of the running gear, engine or exhaust system could be dam-aged.
• If the handbrake Is not applied fully when the vehicle Is stationary and the brake pedal Is released when then selector lever Is in posi-tion P, the vehicle may move a few centimetres forwards or backwards. the slightly reduced braking force by applying more pressure to the brake pedal. During the run-in pe-riod, the braking distance Is longer when the brakes are depressed fully or during emergen-cy braking than with brakes that have been fully run in. In the run-in period, the brakes should not be depressed fully and situations that create a .,.

heavy load on the brakes should be avoided. For example, when driving too close to the vehicle ahead.
The rate of wear of the brake pads depends to a great extent on the conditions under which the ve-hicle is operated and the way in which the vehicle is driven. With regular urban trips, short journeys and a sporty driving style, the brake pads must be checked by a qualified workshop more regularly than stated in the service schedule.
When driving with wet brakes, for example after driving through water, after heavy rainfall or after washing the vehicle, the braking effect may be de-layed as the brake discs will be wet, or possibly ic-ed up (in winter). The brakes must be "dried" as quickly as possible by careful braking at higher speed. Ensure that no vehicle behind you or no other road user is put at risk as a result of this ac-
Any salt layer accumulating on the discs and pads will delay the braking effect and increase the braking distance. If the brakes on the vehicle have not been applied for a long time on roads that have been gritted with salt, the layer of salt must be re-duced through careful braking &.
Corrosion on the brake discs and dirt in the brake pads are facilitated through long periods of inactivi-ty, low mileage and low load levels. With inactivity or low use levels for the brake pads as well as cor-rosion, Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles recom-mends that the brake discs and brake pads be cleaned by braking strongly several times from high speed. Ensure that no vehicle behind you or no other road user is put at risk as a result of this
Fault in the brake system
A brake circuit may have failed if you have to re-duce speed and the vehicle does not brake as nor-mal (sudden increase in braking distance). This will be indicated by the warning lamp m and in some cases a text message. Go to the nearest qualified workshop immediately to have the fault corrected. Drive at low speed when doing this and anticipate much longer braking distances and an increase in the pressure required on the pedal.
Brake servo
The brake serve will only function when the engine is running and reinforces the pressure applied by the driver on the brake pedal.
If the brake serve is not functioning or the vehicle is being towed, the brake pedal will have to be de-pressed more forcefully as the braking distance will be increased due to the lack of assistance for the brake system &.
A WARNING
New brake pads will not have the optimal braking effect when first fitted.
• New brake pads cannot generate the full braking effect during the first 300 km and must first be run In. A reduced braking effect can be Increased by applying more pressure to the brake pedal.
• You must drive particularly carefully when driving with new brake pads In order to re-duce the risk of accidents, serious Injuries and loss of control of the vehicle.
• Never drive too close to other vehicles when running in new brake pads, and never create a driving situation that will place a heavy load on the brakes.
A WARNING
Overheated brakes reduce the braking effect and considerably Increase the braking dis-tance.
• When driving downhill the brakes are placed under particular strain and become hot very quickly.
• Before driving down a long, steep gradi-ent, reduce speed and change to a lower gear or move the selector lever to a lower position. This will make use of the engine braking ef-fect and relieve the load on the brakes.
• Non-standard or damaged front spoilers could restrict the airflow to the brakes and cause them to overheat.
A WARNING
Wet brakes or brakes coated with ice or road salt react more slowly and require longer braking distances.
• Carefully apply the brakes to test them.
• Always dry brakes and clean off any coat-Ing of Ice and salt with a few cautious appli-cations of the brake when visibility, weather, road and traffic conditions permit.
A WARNING
Driving without the brake servo can consider-ably Increase the braking distance and thus cause accidents and serious Injuries.
• Never allow the vehicle to roll if the engine Is switched off.
Starting the engine, changing gear and parking 273

A WARNING (Continued)
• If the brake servo does not function or the vehicle is being towed, the brake pedal will have to be depressed more forcefully as the braking distance will be Increased due to the lack of assistance for the brake system.
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• Never let the brakes "rub" by applying light pressure to the brake when it is not necessary to brake. Continual pressure on the brake pedal will overheat the brakes. This can considerably reduce the brake effect, increase the braking distance and, In certain circumstances, cause the brake system to fail completely.
Brake support systems
r-f'n First read and observe the Introductory l..-Wl information and safety warnings&. on page 269.
The brake support systems ESC, ABS, BAS, TCS and EDL only function when the engine is running. They make a considerable contribution to active driving safety.
Electronic stability control (ESC)
The ESC helps to reduce the risk of skidding and to improve driving stability by braking individual wheels in certain driving situations. The ESC de-tects critical driving situations such as oversteer, understeer and wheelspin. The system helps to stabilise the vehicle through targeted application of the brakes or by reducing engine torque.
ESC has its limitations. lt is important to realise that ESC cannot overcome the laws of physics. ESC will not be able to assist in every situation faced by a driver. For example, ESC will not be able to assist every time that there is a sudden change in the road surface quality. If a section of dry road is suddenly covered with water, mud or snow, ESC will not be able to assist in the same manner as on a dry road. If the vehicle aquaplanes (drives on a layer of water rather than on the road surface), ESC will not be able to assist in steering the vehicle as the contact to the road surface has been interrupted and it is therefore no longer pos-sible to steer or brake the vehicle. When driving at speed through bends, particularly on stretches of road with many bends, the ESC will not always be able to process complicated driving situations as
2741 While dnvang
• Before driving down a long, steep gradient, reduce speed and change to a lower gear or move the selector lever to a lower position. This will make use of the engine braking effect and relieve the load on the brakes. The brakes could otherwise overheat and possibly fall. The brakes should only be used to slow or stop the vehicle.
m If the front brake pads are tested, the rear L!..J brake pads should be tested at the same time. Regularly check the thickness of the brake pads through the openings in the rims or from the underside of the vehicle. If necessary, remove the wheels to carry out a comprehensive check. Volks-wagen Commercial Vehicles recommends using a Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles dealership for this purpose. effectively as at lower speeds. When towing a trail-er, ESC is unable to assist the driver in regaining control over the vehicle.
Always adapt your speed and driving style to suit visibility, weather, road and traffic conditions. ESC cannot defy the laws of motion, improve the availa-ble power output, or keep the vehicle on the road if insufficient care and attention on the part of the driver causes the vehicle to leave the road. In-stead, the ESC improves the chances of keeping the vehicle under control and, in extreme on-road driving situations, exploits the driver's steering in-put to keep the vehicle travelling in the desired di-rection. If the vehicle is driving at a speed that leads it to leave the road before the ESC can pro-vide any kind of support, the ESC will be unable to provide any assistance.
The ASS, BAS, TCS and EDL systems are integra-ted into the ESC. The ESC is always on. If the trac-tion achieved in certain situations is not sufficient, TCS can be switched off by pressing the ASR (TCS) button =>Fig. 224. Always ensure that ASR (TCS) is switched back on again once traction is sufficient.
Automatic Post-Collision Braking System
In the event of an accident, the Automatic Post-Collision Braking System can help the driver to re-duce the risk of skidding, and the danger of secon-dary collisions, through automatic braking.