Mk 5 Secrets

The Golf Mk V is full of useful features. Most are described in the manual. I strongly recommend you read it carefully to get the most out of your Mk V. However, here are some little bits of information I have picked up which are not mentioned in the manual. I have verified most in either my own or other peoples' Mk Vs. Those which are un-verified are clearly indicated.

• When using the windscreen washers and whilst reversing, the Climatic air conditioning system automatically switches into recirculate mode to reduce nasty smells entering the cabin. This feature is mentioned in the manual but here's a little more information about it. The LED on the recirculate button does NOT illuminate but if you have the fan set to speed 2 or above you can hear it speed up. Recirculation continues for about 15 seconds after you finish using the windscreen washers.
   
• The sun visors can not only be turned through 90 degrees to block out light coming through a side window but can also be extended.
  
  
   
• If the MFD goes off because it has timed out, pressing the Trip Reset (0.0) button for a second or so will bring it back (and will not reset your Trip reading).
   
• Apparently, the rear indicators are not LEDs but special bulbs with very fast light-up and fade-out times.
  
  
   
• The unused compartment beneath the headlights and further in from the front indicators are where the sidelights are on cars fitted with Xenons.
   
• Apparently, if a rear tail-light bulb filament fails, this is detected by the car and the stop-light element is energised with a duty cycle which simulates the reduced wattage of the failed filament. The bulb-blown warning light will not light up in such situations however an error code will be stored in the car's ECU ready for interrogation by the VW dealer at the next service. I assume the bulb-blown warning light is still used for blown indicator bulbs and stop lights.
   
• Press and hold the Menu button on the RCD300 radio for about 5 seconds whilst listening to the radio to display the TEST screen.
  
  
   
• Turning the ignition switch to the Starter position has no effect if the engine is already running.
   
• Pressing the brake (sufficient to light the brake lights) at the same time as the accelerator causes the ECU to ignore the accelerator input. However, if you press the accelerator whilst braking, the accelerator input IS processed. This apparently enables "Heal-and-Toe" gear changes. This illustrates the car's Drive-by-Wire accelerator system.
   
• When the windscreen wipers are turned off, the blades move about an inch further towards the bottom of the screen, beneath the bonnet line, out of view and out of the wind flow. On cars with Auto Wipers this happens automatically, approximately 10 seconds after the last intermittent sweep.
   
• You can always force a wipe when the auto wipers are in Auto mode by increasing the sensitivity setting.
   
• If you turn off the ignition whilst the front windscreen wipers are mid sweep, they will continue until parked. Does not apply to the rear windscreen wiper though.
   
• Coming-home auto lights can be prevented when leaving the car at night by pressing the unlock button on the remote before pressing the lock button.
   
• When locking your Mk V, pressing the lock button on the remote twice causes the doors to be locked but does not activate the deadlocks or the alarm's interior protection. This is useful say, if you want to lock someone inside the car. The key indicator on the interior central locking button will glow orange to indicate that the deadlocks are not engaged and the red LED on the driver's door will not flash indicating that the alarm's interior protection is not engaged.
   
• 2005 model MkVs can be differentiated from 2004 models by the following:
  Lockable glove boxes, chrome handbrake button and chrome gear lever collar.
  
  
  
  An external temperature display displayed in a modified MFD.
  
  
  
  Seat belt audible warning on front seats.
  VW headlight bulb cover and silver rather than dark grey headlight interiors.
  
  
  
  2005 model 1.9 TDIs also had just TDI on the back rather than the 1.9 TDI of early models.
   
• You can tell whereabouts a Mk V was manufactured from the 11th character of the chassis number. For example, a "W" in WVWZZZ1KZ5W888888 would indicate that the Mk V was manufactured in Wolfsburg, Germany. Other codes are:
   
  

  11th Character	Country of Manufacture
  U	South Africa
  W	Germany (Wolfsburg)
  M	Mexico (Pueblo)

  
   
• The little circular sensor in the middle of the Climatic air-conditioning controls is the interior temperature sensor. Also, if you listen very carefully you can sometimes hear the servos moving to regulate the cold and warm air mix.
  
  
   
• You can press the lock button on the keyfob even whilst some doors (or the hatch) are still open*. Those doors already closed will be locked immediately and each of the other doors will be locked as soon as they are closed. When the last door is closed, the alarm will be set but also, if your car has surrounding area lighting, these lights will remain on, past the usual delay time, until the last door is shut.
  
  * Note: None of the doors will lock if the driver's door is open!
   
• Convenience opening and closing of the car's electric windows is where you can open or close all windows by holding down either the unlock or lock button on the remote. Whilst you need to continue to hold the unlock button in order to continue to open the windows, if closing the windows, you only need to hold down the lock button until the windows start to close. They will then continue to close fully by themselves.

Click here to contact me if you know anything else about the Mk V which is not mentioned in the manual.