Volkswagen Polo Owners Manual: Starting the engine

First read and observe the introductory information and safety warnings 

The steps should only be carried out in the specified order.
Step	Vehicles with a manual gearbox	Vehicles with an automatic gearbox
1.	Press the brake pedal. Keep it held down until step 5 has been completed.
1a.	Fully depress the clutch pedal until the engine has been started.
2.	Shift the gear stick to a neutral position.	Shift the selector lever to position P or N.
3.	Only vehicles with diesel engines: to preheat the engine, turn the vehicle key to position  . The indicator lamp in the instrument cluster lights up.
4.	Turn the vehicle key in the ignition lock to position   – do not depress the accelerator.
5.	Release the vehicle key once the engine has started.
6.	If the engine does not start, stop the procedure and repeat it after approximately one minute.
7.	Release the handbrake if you wish to pull away   .

WARNING

Never leave the vehicle with the engine running. The vehicle could move suddenly, particularly if a gear or position is selected, and cause accidents and serious injuries.

WARNING

Start boosters may explode or suddenly cause the engine to run at high revs.

• Never use a start booster.

NOTICE

• The starter and the engine can be damaged if you attempt to start the engine while the vehicle is in motion or if the engine is started again immediately after it has been switched off.

• When the engine is cold, avoid high engine speeds, driving at full throttle and overloading the engine.

• Do not push-start or tow-start the engine. Unburnt fuel can damage the catalytic converter.

Do not warm up the engine by running it while the vehicle is stationary. Instead, pull off as soon as there is good visibility through the windows. This helps the engine to reach operating temperature more quickly and reduces emissions.

Components with a high power consumption are switched off temporarily when the engine is started.

When starting from cold, the engine may be a little noisy for the first few seconds. This is quite normal, and no cause for concern.