2003 VOLVO XC70
Trip computer
The trip computer stores information gathered from several systems in yo\
ur car and has four menus that can
be displayed in the text window.
l Driving distance on current fuel reserve
l Average fuel consumption
l Current fuel consumption
l Average speed
l Current speed in mph (Canadian models only)
NOTE: Warning messages from the car's monitoring systems will override the tri\
p computer function. If a
warning message is displayed in the text window while you are using the \
trip computer, you must
acknowledge the message by pressing button A. Press button A again to re\
turn to the trip computer function.
Trip computer controls and functions
The four* trip computer functions can be accessed by twisting control B \
one step at a time in either direction.
Twisting a fifth time** returns you to the original function.
The trip computer can be reset (current data will be erased from system\
memory) by pressing RESET (button
C).
1. Driving distance on current fuel reserve
This function shows the approximate distance that can be driven on the f\
uel remaining in the tank. This
calculation is based on average fuel consumption during the last 12 mile\
s (20 km) of driving and the amount
of fuel remaining in the tank when the reading was taken. When the drivi\
ng distance on current fuel reserve is
less than 12 miles (20 km), "----" will be displayed in the text windo\
w.
2. Average fuel consumption
This value indicates fuel consumption since the last time the trip compu\
ter was reset (by pressing RESET,
button C). When the engine is switched off, information on fuel consump\
tion is stored and remains in system
memory until the RESET (button C) is pressed again.
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3. Current fuel consumption
This value indicates the current fuel consumption, based on readings tak\
en once per second. When the car is
not moving, "----" will be displayed.
4. Average speed
This value indicates average speed since the last time the trip computer\
was reset (by pressing RESET, button
C). When the engine is switched off, information on average speed is st\
ored and remains in system memory
until the RESET (button C) is pressed again.
5. Current speed in miles per hour (Canadian models only)
This function provides the driver with an instantaneous conversion of th\
e car's current speed from km/h to
mph.
*Five functions on Canadian models
**A sixth time on Canadian models
Contents | Top of Page
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pattern, load-, speed-, traction-, temperature-, and treadwear rating. N\
ever drive on mixed tires, except
for brief periods when the temporary spare tire is in use.
Always use properly inflated tires of correct dimensions. Tire size and \
inflation pressures are shown on
the tire pressure label located inside the fuel filler door.
Tire Rotation
Volvo recommends rotating the tires every 7,500 miles (12,000 km). Tir\
es should be rotated front-to-
back/back-to-front only. Tires must maintain the same direction of rotat\
ion throughout their lifetime, and
should never be rotated from one side of the vehicle to the other.
Temporary Spare
The temporary spare tire is for temporary, low-speed, short-distance use\
only. Replace it with a full-
sized tire as soon as possible, in accordance with "Tire Rotation" above\
. Do not drive on the temporary
spare at speeds above 50 m.p.h. (80km/h) or for distances greater than\
50 miles (80 km).
Never install snow chains on a temporary spare.
pg. 95 Driving economy
Economical driving conserves natural resources
Better driving economy may be obtained by thinking ahead, avoiding rapid\
starts and stops and
adjusting the speed of your vehicle to immediate traffic conditions. Obs\
erve the following rules:
l Bring the engine to normal operating temperature as soon as possible by \
driving with a light foot on
the accelerator pedal for the first few minutes of operation. A cold eng\
ine uses more fuel and is subject
to increased wear.
l Whenever possible, avoid using the car for driving short distances. This\
does not allow the engine to
reach normal operating temperature.
l Drive carefully and avoid rapid acceleration and hard braking.
l Do not exceed posted speed limits.
l Avoid carrying unnecessary items (extra load) in the car.
l Maintain correct tire pressure. Check tire pressure regularly (when tir\
es are cold).
l Remove snow tires when threat of snow or ice has ended.
l Note that roof racks, ski racks, etc., increase air resistance and also \
fuel consumption.
l Avoid using automatic transmission kickdown feature unless necessary.
l Avoid using the air conditioning when it is not required. When engaged, \
the conditioner's compressor
places an additional load on the engine. However, at higher driving spee\
ds, fuel consumption will be
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lower with the air conditioning on and the windows closed than with the \
air conditioning off and the
windows open.
l Using the onboard trip computer's fuel consumption modes can help you le\
arn how to drive more
economically.
Other factors that decrease gas mileage are:
l Dirty air cleaner
l Dirty engine oil and clogged oil filter
l Dragging brakes
l Incorrect front end alignment Some of the above mentioned items and othe\
rs are checked at the
standard Maintenance Service intervals.
NOTE: Vehicles equipped with automatic transmissions should use (D)rive as o\
ften as possible and
avoid using "kick-down" to help improve fuel economy. Vehicles equipped \
with manual transmissions
should use fifth gear at highway speeds. At other times, choose the high\
est gear that still allows smooth
acceleration.
Weight distribution affects handling
At the specified curb weight your car has a tendency to understeer, whic\
h means that the steering wheel
has to be turned more than might seem appropriate for the curvature of a\
bend. This ensures good
stability and reduces the risk of rear wheel skid. Remember that these p\
roperties can alter with the
vehicle load. The heavier the load on the rear of the vehicle (e.g., he\
avily loaded (max. 220 lbs, 100 kg)
cargo area or when towing a trailer, the less the tendency to understeer\
.
Handling, roadholding
Vehicle load, tire design and inflation pressure all affect vehicle hand\
ling. Therefore, check that the tires
are inflated to the recommended pressure according to the vehicle load. \
See "Tire pressure" section.
Loads should be distributed so that capacity weight or maximum permissib\
le axle loads are not
exceeded.
pg. 96 Points to remember
Cooling system
The risk for engine overheating is greatest, especially in hot weather, \
when:
l Towing a trailer up steep inclines for prolonged periods at wide open th\
rottle and low engine rpm.
l Stopping the engine suddenly after high speed driving (so-called "after\
-boiling" can occur).
l To avoid overheating, the following rules should be followed: Do not dri\
ve for prolonged periods at
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Electrical system
When replacing the battery or when carrying out work involving the elect\
rical system, the following
should be observed:
l A battery connection to the wrong terminal will damage the electrical sy\
stem. Be sure to connect the
positive battery cable to the positive battery terminal and the negative\
battery cable to the negative
battery terminal.
l If booster batteries are used for starting, they must be properly connec\
ted to minimize the risk of the
electrical system being damaged. For correct connection, see "Jump start\
ing" section.
l Never disconnect the battery circuit (for example, to replace the batte\
ry) while the engine is running,
as this may damage the generator. Always make sure that all the battery \
connections are properly
cleaned and tightened.
l If any electrical welding work is performed on the vehicle, the battery'\
s ground lead (negative cable)
and all the connecting cables of the generator must be disconnected and \
the welder cables placed as near
the welding points as possible.
l The radio must be turned off before the battery is disconnected.
l Switch off the ignition for at least 10 minutes before disconnecting the\
battery.
pg. 97 Roof racks/Load carriers
Load carriers (accessory)
Load carriers are available as Volvo accessories. Observe the following \
points when in use:
l To avoid damaging your car and to achieve maximum safety when driving, w\
e recommend using the
load carriers that Volvo has developed especially for your car.
l Volvo-approved removable roof racks are designed to carry the maximum al\
lowable roof load for this
vehicle: 220 lbs (100 kg). For Non-Volvo roof racks, check the manufac\
turer's weight limits for the rack.
l Never exceed the rack manufacturer's weigh limits and never exceed the m\
aximum rated roof load of
220 lbs (100 kg).
l Avoid single-point loads. Distribute loads evenly.
l Place heavier cargo at the bottom of the load.
l Anchor the cargo correctly with appropriate tie-down equipment.
l Check periodically that the load carriers and load are properly secured.\
l Remember that the car's center of gravity and handling change when you c\
arry a load on the roof.
l The car's wind resistance (and correspondingly, fuel consumption) will\
increase with the size of the
load.
l Drive smoothly. Avoid rapid starts, fast cornering and hard braking.
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Cold weather precautions
If you wish to check your car before the approach of cold weather, the f\
ollowing advice is worth noting:
l Make sure that the engine coolant contains 50 percent antifreeze. Any ot\
her mixture will reduce
freeze protection. This gives protection against freezing down to -31°\
F (-35°C). See section "Coolant".
The use of "recycled" antifreeze is not approved by Volvo. Different typ\
es of antifreeze must not
be mixed.
l Volvo recommends using only genuine Volvo antifreeze in your car's radia\
tor. Your local Volvo
retailer stocks plenty of Volvo engine coolant to protect your car durin\
g cold weather.
l Try to keep the fuel tank well filled - this prevents the formation of condensation in the tank. \
In
addition, in extremely cold weather conditions it is worthwhile to add f\
uel line de-icer before refueling.
l The viscosity of the engine oil is important. Oil with low viscosity (thinner oil) improves cold-
weather starting as well as decreasing fuel consumption while the engine\
is warming up. For winter use,
5W-30 oil, particularly the synthetic type *, is recommended. Be sure to\
use good quality oil but do not
use this cold-weather oil for hard driving or in warm weather. See section "Engine oil" for more
information.
l The load placed on the battery is greater during the winter since the windshield wipers, lighting, etc\
.
are used more often. Moreover, the capacity of the battery decreases as \
the temperature drops. In very
cold weather, a poorly charged battery can freeze and be damaged. It is \
therefore advisable to check the
state of charge more frequently and spray an anti-rust oil on the batter\
y posts.
l Volvo recommends the use of snow tires on all four wheels for winter dri\
ving - see section "Wheels
and tires".
l To prevent the washer fluid reservoir from freezing, add washer solvents\
containing antifreeze (see
page 130 for the location of the washer fluid reservoir). This is important sin\
ce dirt is often splashed on
the windshield during winter driving, requiring the frequent use of the \
washers and wipers. The Volvo
Washer Solvent should be diluted as follows:
Down to 14° F (-10° C): 1 part washer solvent and 4 parts water \
Down to 5° F (-15° C): 1 part washer solvent and 3 parts water
Down to 0° F (-18° C): 1 part washer solvent and 2 parts water
Down to -18° F (-28° C): 1 part washer solvent and 1 part water \
l Use Volvo Teflon Lock Spray in the locks.
NOTE: Avoid the use of de-icing sprays as they can cause damage to the locks.
W Winter/Wet driving mode - enhanced vehicle traction
l Mode W will only function if the gear selector is in the (D)rive posit\
ion.
l Press the button at the base of the gear selector to engage/disengage th\
is driving mode (see
illustration).
l An LED in the button will light up to indicate that W is engaged and this will also be displayed in the
instrument panel (see
page 27).
l This mode may be selected for starting/moving off on slippery roads.
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pg. 105 Long distance trips
Before a long distance trip
It is always worthwhile to have your car checked at a Volvo retailer bef\
ore driving long distances. Your
retailer will also be able to supply you with bulbs, fuses, spark plugs \
and wiper blades for your use in the
event that problems occur.
As a minimum, the following items should be checked before any long trip\
:
l Check that engine runs smoothly and that fuel consumption is normal.
l Check for fuel, oil, and fluid leakage.
l Check condition of accessory drive belts.
l Check transmission oil level*.
l Check state of the battery's charge.
l Examine tires carefully (the spare tire as well), and replace those th\
at are worn. Check tire pressures.
l The brakes, front wheel alignment, and steering gear should be checked b\
y your Volvo retailer only.
l Check all lights, including high beams.
l Reflective warning triangles are legal requirement in some countries.
l Have a word with your Volvo retailer if you intend to drive in countries\
where it may be difficult to
obtain the correct fuel.
l Consider your destination. If you will be driving through an area where \
snow or ice are likely to
occur, consider snow tires.
* To prevent injury from contact with hot surfaces, do not inspect your \
car's transmission fluid yourself.
Have your car's transmission fluid level inspected by a qualified Volvo \
service technician.
pg. 106 Three-way catalytic converters
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l The top half describes the oil's performance level.
l The center identifies the oil's viscosity.
l The bottom half tells whether the oil has demonstrated energy-conserving\
proper ties in a standard
test in comparison to a reference oil.
Viscosity (stable ambient temperatures)
Break-in Period
Although some oil consumption occurs during normal engine operation, mor\
e oil is consumed when the
engine is new as the internal parts generate higher friction while weari\
ng-in each other. From the time
the engine is new until the first service is performed, the oil consumpt\
ion could be higher than
normal. For this reason, it is especially important to check the oil eve\
ry time you refuel you car
during this period.
pg. 136 Engine oil
Checking the oil level
The oil level should be checked every time the car is refueled. This is \
especially important during
the period up to the first service.
CAUTION:
Not checking the oil level regularly can result in serious engine damage\
if the oil level becomes too low.
Park the car on a level surface and wait for at least 5 minutes after th\
e engine has been switched off. Be
sure the oil level is maintained between the upper and lower marks on th\
e dipstick. Low oil level can
damage the engine. Overfilling can result in high oil consumption and da\
mage the emissions system.
The distance between the dipstick marks represents approx. 1.6 US qt (1\
.5 liter). The oil should
preferably be checked when cold, before the engine has been started.
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