4 - Gearshift lever
Your Volkswagen has a fully synchronized
transmission. The four forward gears and
a reverse gear are arranged as illustrated.
The shift pattern is also shown on the face
of your ashtray in the dashboard.
Resting your hand on the shift lever knob
while driving will cause premature wear
to the transmission.
1st gear
0—15 mph
2nd gear
10—32 mph
3rd gear
15—52 mph
4th gear
from 30 mph up
There are, however, certain recommended
speed ranges for the various gears:
If you have a traffic situation where it is
necessary to accelerate in 2nd and 3rd
gear above the recommended speed ran-
ges, you may do so for a brief period only.
A governor is installed on the engine to
prevent damage from excessive engine
speed (revolutions per minute).
Only shift into Reverse when the car is not
moving. To engage the reverse gear,
press the lever down, move it to the left
and pull back.
The back-up lights go on automatically
when you engage the reverse gear (with
the ignition on).
You can drive your Volkswagen at full
speed from the first day. You do not have
a break-in schedule.
To set the parking brake, pull out the
handle. To release the parking brake, first
slightly pull the handle as you turn it to
the right. Then push it all the way in. Be
sure the parking brake is fully released.
A partially engaged parking brake pro-
motes wear of the brake lining.
Always set the parking brake when park-
ing your car. On steep hills also turn the
wheels toward the curb.
Reverse
5 - Parking brake
Speed ranges
Do not remove the key from the steering
lock while the car is rolling to a stop. The
steering column is locked as soon as you
remove the key. Take out the key only
after the car is parked.
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