Get Parts, accessories, repairs, and modifications Guide for Volkswagen Passat SUV Seventh Generation (2010-2014)

Parts, accessories, repairs, and modifications

¤ Introduction

In this section you’ll find information about:

Break-in period

Parts and accessories

Operating fluids and equipment

Repairs and technical modifications

Repairs and other things that can affect Advanced Airbag

performance

Notice about data recorded by vehicle control modules

Notice about data recorded by the Event Data Recorder and vehicle

control modules

Using a mobile phone without a vehicle-integrated antenna - some

important things to know

More information:

Safety belts

Airbag system

Roof rack

Trailer towing

Tire Pressure Monitoring System

Power outlets

Braking and parking

Starting assistance systems

Cruise control system (CCS)

Rear Assist

Park Distance Control system

Working in the engine compartment

Engine oil

Engine coolant

Vehicle battery

Exterior care and cleaning

Interior care and cleaning

Consumer information

⇒ꢀBooklet Radio

⇒ꢀBooklet Navigation system

⇒ꢀBooklet Mobile Phone Package

WARNING

Inappropriate spare parts and accessories as well as improper-

ly performed work, modifications and repairs can cause vehicle

damage, accidents and serious personal injuries.

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.

Have repairs and vehicle modifications performed by an au-

thorized Volkswagen dealer or authorized Volkswagen Service

Facility. Authorized Volkswagen dealers and authorized

Volkswagen Service Facilities have the required tools, diagnos-

tic equipment, repair information, and trained personnel to

properly replace any airbag in your vehicle and assure system

effectiveness in a crash.

Only install parts on the vehicle that are consistent with fac-

tory-installed parts with respect to design and characteristics.

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.

Only use wheel rim/tire combinations approved by

Volkswagen for the respective vehicle type.

Break-in period

¤ Please first read and note the introductory information and

heed the WARNINGS

Note applicable requirements for breaking in new parts.

Breaking in a new engine

A new engine must be carefully broken in during the first 1000 miles

(1600 kilometers). During the first few hours of driving, the engine's

internal friction is higher than later when all moving parts have been

broken in.

Engine life is influenced by how you drive the vehicle for the first

1000 miles (1600 km). Even afterwards, driving at moderate engine

speeds, especially when the engine is cold, will tend to reduce engine

wear and help the engine to last longer and go farther. But do not

drive at an excessively low engine speed, either. Always downshift if

the engine is not running smoothly. For the first 600 miles

(1000 km):

Do not use full throttle.

Don't let the engine speed get above 2/3 the maximum speed.

Do not tow a trailer.

From 600 to 1000 miles (1000 to 1600 km): Speed may gradually

be increased to maximum permissible road and engine speed.

New tires and brake pads

New tires and replacement tires ⇒ꢀ Tires and wheels

Brakes ⇒ꢀ About the brakes

Breaking in a new engine gently will increase service life and

reduce oil consumption.

Parts and accessories

¤ Please first read and note the introductory information and

heed the WARNINGS

Volkswagen recommends that you consult an authorized Volkswagen

dealer or authorized Volkswagen Service Facility before purchasing

accessories, spare parts or other equipment. Always do so if you

want to install additional accessories or replace parts. Your author-

ized Volkswagen dealer or authorized Volkswagen Service Facility

can provide information about legal requirements and factory-

recommended accessories, spare parts, and other equipment.

WARNING

Improper vehicle modifications and repairs affect the perfor-

mance of the airbag system and cause malfunctions and severe

personal injuries.

Never store, mount, or attach objects, such as cup holders or

phone cradles, on or next to the airbag module covers or within

the airbag deployment zones.

Objects on or near the surface where airbags are located can

come loose and cause serious personal injury if the airbag de-

ploys.

Operating fluids and equipment

¤ Please first read and note the introductory information and

heed the WARNINGS

Operating fluids and parts that wear out with use (such as timing

belts, tires, engine coolants, engine oils, spark plugs, and vehicle bat-

teries) are constantly being improved. For this reason, it is important

to have operating fluids changed and wearing parts replaced by an

authorized Volkswagen dealer or authorized Volkswagen Service

Facility. Authorized Volkswagen dealers and authorized Volkswagen

Service Facilities are always up-to-date regarding new developments

and changes.

WARNING

Improper use of operating fluids and equipment can cause ac-

cidents, serious personal injuries, burns and/or poisoning.

Always store vehicle care products in a safe place in original

containers that are securely closed.

To reduce the risk of poisoning, never use empty food or

beverage containers that might mislead someone into drinking

from them.

Always keep vehicle care products out of the reach of chil-

dren.

Always read and heed all the instructions and all WARNINGS

on the package before using vehicle care products.

When using products that give off harmful fumes, always

work outdoors or in a well ventilated area.

Never use fuel, turpentine, engine oil, nail polish remover or

other volatile fluids for vehicle care. They are poisonous and

highly flammable. They could cause fires and explosions!

NOTICE

Only refill with suitable operating fluids. When changing or

topping off fluids, make sure that you pour the fluids into the

correct reservoirs. Adding incorrect fluids will cause serious

malfunctions and engine damage! Under no circumstances

should you mix up operating fluids. Otherwise serious malfunc-

tions and engine damage can occur!

Accessories and other things installed in front of the cooling

air intakes impair the efficiency of the engine coolant. The en-

gine can overheat under high outside temperatures or under

high engine loads!

Leaking operating fluids can pollute the environment. Collect

leaking operating fluids in suitable containers and dispose of them

properly in accordance with applicable environmental laws and regu-

lations.

Repairs and technical modifications

¤ Please first read and note the introductory information and

heed the WARNINGS

Volkswagen guidelines for repairs and technical modifications

must be followed ⇒ꢀ

!

Changes to electronic components and related software can cause

malfunctions. These malfunctions can also affect other systems that

are related to the component or software that was modified. The ve-

hicle's operational safety can be seriously jeopardized, increased

vehicle component wear can occur, and the vehicle may no longer

meet applicable emissions requirements.

Volkswagen recommends having all repairs and technical modifica-

tions performed by an authorized Volkswagen dealer or authorized

Volkswagen Service Facility using Genuine Volkswagen Parts^®.

Damage that is caused by improper repairs or unapproved technical

modifications will not be covered by any Volkswagen Limited Warran-

ty.

WARNING

Improperly performed repairs and modifications can cause ve-

hicle damage and malfunctions, and can impair the efficiency of

driver assistance systems. This can lead to accidents and se-

vere personal injuries.

Have repairs and vehicle modifications done by an author-

ized Volkswagen dealer or an authorized Volkswagen Service

Facility.

NOTICE

Improperly performed repairs and modifications can cause in-

creased component wear and result in vehicle emissions that no

longer meet applicable requirements.

Repairs and other things that can affect Advanced Airbag

performance

¤ Please first read and note the introductory information and

heed the WARNINGS

Repairs and modifications of front bumpers, doors, front seats, head-

liners and the chassis can affect proper airbag performance and

should be performed by an authorized Volkswagen dealer or author-

ized Volkswagen Service Facility. These vehicle areas can contain

important parts of the airbag system.

Components of the airbag system can be damaged during removal,

assembly and repair activities on the airbag system itself or related

components. Damage to airbag parts can prevent the system from

working properly in a collision.

Observe all regulations so that the effectiveness of the airbag is not

affected and to prevent disassembled parts from causing injuries and

pollution. Authorized Volkswagen dealers, authorized Volkswagen

Service Facilities, and other qualified workshops are familiar with the-

se regulations.

Changing the vehicle's suspension system can change the way that

the airbag system works in a crash. For example, using tire-rim com-

binations not approved by Volkswagen, lowering the vehicle, chang-

ing 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 weight-sensing mat 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 unap-

proved tire-rim combinations can change airbag performance

and increase the risk of serious personal injury in a crash.

Never install suspension components that do not have the

same performance characteristics as the components originally

installed on your vehicle.

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.

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 colli-

sions in which the front airbag would otherwise be triggered

earlier to help protect an unrestrained front seat passenger.

Always remove the safety belt extender when it is not needed

and stow it safely.

Never use the safety belt extender to secure a child restraint.

WARNING

Items stored between the safety belt buckle and the center con-

sole can cause safety belt buckle to send the wrong infor-

mation to the airbag control unit and prevent the Advanced Air-

bag System from working properly.

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 de-

ploying an airbag unexpectedly:

Never repair, adjust, or change any parts of the airbag sys-

tem.

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 au-

thorized Volkswagen Service Facilities. They have the neces-

sary manuals, training, and special equipment.

The airbag system can be activated only once. After an air-

bag has inflated, it must be replaced.

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 effective-

ness in a crash.

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 appli-

cable legal requirements regarding handling and disposal of the vehi-

cle or parts of its restraint system, including airbag modules and safe-

ty belts with pretensioners. Authorized Volkswagen dealers and au-

thorized Volkswagen Service Facilities are familiar with the require-

ments, and we recommend that you have them perform this service

for you.

Notice about data recorded by the Event Data Recorder and

vehicle control modules

¤ Please first read and note the introductory information and

heed the WARNINGS

This vehicle is equipped with an Event Data Recorder (EDR). The

main purpose of an EDR is to record, in certain crash or near crash-

like situations, such as an airbag deployment or hitting a road obsta-

cle, data that will assist in understanding how a vehicle's systems

performed. The EDR is designed to record data related to vehicle

dynamics and safety systems for a short period of time, typically

30 seconds or less. The EDR in this vehicle is designed to record

such data as:

How various systems in your vehicle were operating;

Whether or not the driver and passenger safety belts were buck-

led/fastened;

How far (if at all) the driver was depressing the accelerator and/or

brake pedal; and,

How fast the vehicle was traveling.

These data can help provide a better understanding of the circum-

stances in which crashes and injuries occur. NOTE: EDR data are

recorded by your vehicle only if a non-trivial crash situation occurs; no

data are recorded by the EDR under normal driving conditions and no

personal data (e.g., name, gender, age, and crash location) are rec-

orded. However, other parties, such as law enforcement, could com-

bine the EDR data with the type of personally identifying data routine-

ly acquired during a crash investigation.

To read data recorded by an EDR, special equipment is required, and

access to the vehicle or the EDR is needed. In addition to the vehicle

manufacturer, other parties, such as law enforcement, that have the

special equipment, can read the information if they have access to

the vehicle or the EDR.

Some state laws restrict the retrieval or downloading of data stored by

EDRs installed in a vehicle for the express purpose of retrieving data

after an accident or crash event without the owner's consent.

Volkswagen will not access the EDR and/or similar data or give it to

others - unless the vehicle owner (or lessee if the vehicle has been

leased) agrees, or;

upon the official request by the police;

upon the order of a court of law or a government agency; or

for the defense of a lawsuit through the judicial discovery process.

Volkswagen may also use the data for research about vehicle opera-

tion and safety performance or provide the data to a third party for

research purposes without identifying the specific vehicle or infor-

mation about the identity of its owner or lessee.

NOTE: Your vehicle may be equipped with Volkswagen Car-Net.

Please see the Volkswagen Car-Net Terms of Service and Privacy

Policy at (http:// www.vw.com/carnet) for details regarding how

Volkswagen collects, processes, transmits, uses and shares infor-

mation obtained through the Volkswagen Car-Net equipment and

service.

Your vehicle is also equipped with a number of electronic control

modules for various vehicle systems, such as engine management,

emission control, airbags, and safety belts.

These electronic control modules record data during normal vehicle

operation that may be needed by trained technicians for diagnostic

and repair purposes. The recording capability of these modules is

limited to data (no sound is recorded). Only a small amount of data is

actually recorded over a very limited period of time, or stored when a

system fault is detected by a control module. Some of the data stored

may relate to vehicle speed, direction, or braking, as well as restraint

system use and performance in the event of a crash. Stored data can

also only be read and downloaded with special equipment that is di-

rectly connected to the vehicle.

Using a mobile phone without a vehicle-integrated antenna -

some important things to know

¤ Please first read and note the introductory information and

heed the WARNINGS

Mobile or cellular telephones send and receive radio waves, some-

times called “radiofrequency energy” (RF energy), both when they are

being used and when they are in standby mode. Current scientific

literature indicates that radio waves that exceed a certain level can

have effects on the human body. Limits and guidelines have been

established by governmental authorities and international committees

in an effort to keep the electromagnetic radiation from mobile phones

at levels that will not cause health problems. However, there is no

scientifically based proof that wireless phones are absolutely safe.

Therefore, some experts recommend a precautionary approach re-

garding the use of mobile phones by taking measures that lower the

personal exposure to electromagnetic fields. When using a mobile

telephone inside a motor vehicle without a proper connection to an

integrated vehicle telephone antenna, the personal exposure to elec-

tromagnetic fields will be higher than when using the mobile tele-

phone while properly connected to an integrated or other outside ve-

hicle telephone antenna.

Your vehicle may be equipped with an optional hands-free system

that will permit many of the features of compatible Bluetooth^®enabled

mobile telephones to be used for greater convenience and is con-

sistent with the laws of an increasing number of states and localities

that prohibit the use of mobile telephones without some kind of

hands-free device.

The hands-free system in your vehicle can be used with certain mo-

bile phones that are connected by wire and hardware connector or via

compatible Bluetooth^®enabled phones with a cradle that is designed

to fit your mobile telephone.The special cradle offers several ad-

vantages: The phone cradle must be safely secured to the base plate.

Your phone is firmly attached to the instrument panel and is within

reach at all times. Placing the phone in its cradle permits it to be

charged, but more importantly connects the mobile phone to the vehi-

cle's outside antenna. A mobile telephone that is properly connected

to the integrated or other outside vehicle telephone antenna will lower

the personal exposure to electromagnetic fields. You should also ex-

perience a better quality of service. Although a mobile telephone can

be used inside your vehicle without a cradle, the phone will not be

securely attached to the vehicle, will not be charged through the cra-

dle wiring, and more importantly will not be connected to the vehicle's

integrated telephone antenna. The mobile phone will also not be re-

charged. You might also experience more dropped calls and an over-

all impaired quality of the connection.

Therefore we strongly recommend that you use your mobile tele-

phone in your vehicle only when it is properly attached to an appro-

priate 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.

Never place or attach accessories or other objects (such as

cup holders, telephone brackets, note pads, navigation sys-

tems, large, heavy or bulky objects) on the doors, on the wind-

shield, 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 col-

lision, 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 danger-

ous 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.

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.

Never carry a mobile phone that is switched on in the breast

pocket directly over a pacemaker.

If you suspect there may be interference with a pacemaker or

other medical device, switch the mobile phone off immediately.

Parts, accessories, repairs, and modifications for Your Volkswagen Passat SUV Seventh Generation (2010-2014)

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