2015 VOLVO XC70 tow

03 Your driving environment
Wipers and washers
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108* Option/accessory, for more information, see Introduction.
DeactivatingDeactivate the rain sensor by pressing the button
or press the lever down to
another wiper position. The rain sensor is automatically deactivated when the key is removed from the ignitionslot or five minutes after the ignition has beenswitched off.
CAUTION
The rain sensor should be deactivated when washing the car in an automatic carwash, etc. If the rain sensor function is lefton, the wipers will start inadvertently in thecar wash and could be damaged.
Windshield washing
Washing function Move the lever toward the steering wheel to start the windshield and headlight washers.After the lever is released the wipers makeseveral extra sweeps.
Heated washer nozzles*The washer nozzles are heated automaticallyin cold weather to help prevent the washerfluid from freezing.
High-pressure headlight washing*High-pressure headlight washing consumes alarge quantity of washer fluid. To save fluid,the headlights are washed using two alterna-tives:
• Low/high beam headlights on.
The
headlights will be washed the first time the windshield is washed. Thereafter, theheadlights will only be washed once forevery five times the windshield is washedwithin a 10-minute period.
• Parking lights on.
Optional Active Bend-
ing Lights will be washed once for everyfive times the windshield is washed. Nor-mal halogen headlights will not bewashed.
CAUTION
• Use ample washer fluid when washing the windshield. The windshield shouldbe thoroughly wet when the wipers arein operation.
• When approx. 1 US quart (1 liter) ofwasher fluid remains in the reservoir,the headlights will no longer bewashed. A text message will also bedisplayed to remind the driver to fill thewasher fluid reservoir.
Tailgate wiper/washer
Move the lever forward to start the tailgate washer.
Intermittent wiping
Normal (continuous) wiping

03 Your driving environment
Starting the engine
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WARNING
•Always remove the remote key from the ignition slot when leaving the vehi-cle and ensure that the ignition inmode
0 (see page 89 for information
about the ignition modes), especially ifthere are children in the vehicle.
• On vehicles with the optional keylessdrive, never remove the remote keyfrom the vehicle while it is being drivenor towed.
• Always place the gear selector in Parkand apply the parking brake beforeleaving the vehicle. Never leave thevehicle unattended with the enginerunning.
• Always open garage doors fully beforestarting the engine inside a garage toensure adequate ventilation. Theexhaust gases contain carbon monox-ide, which is invisible and odorless butvery poisonous.
NOTE
•After a cold start, idle speed may be noticeably higher than normal for ashort period. This is done to help bringcomponents in the emission controlsystem to their normal operating tem-perature as quickly as possible, whichenables them to control emissions andhelp reduce the vehicle's impact on the environment 3
.
CAUTION
• When starting in cold weather, the automatic transmission may shift up atslightly higher engine speeds than nor-mal until the automatic transmissionfluid reaches normal operating tem-perature.
• Do not race a cold engine immediatelyafter starting. Oil flow may not reachsome lubrication points fast enough toprevent engine damage.
• The engine should be idling when youmove the gear selector. Never acceler-ate until after you feel the transmissionengage. Accelerating immediately afterselecting a gear will cause harshengagement and premature transmis-sion wear.
• Selecting
P or N when idling at a
standstill for prolonged periods of timewill help prevent overheating of theautomatic transmission fluid.
3 If the gear selector is in the D or R positions and the car is not moving, engine speed (rpm) will be lower and it will take longer for the engine to reach normal operating temperature.

03 Your driving environment
Transmission
03
128* Option/accessory, for more information, see Introduction.
Gear indicatorThe gear currently being used is displayed on the rightside of the instrument panel. The " S" symbol turns orange
if Sport mode is being used.
Reverse: position RThe vehicle must be stationary when position R is selected.
Neutral: position NNo gear is engaged and the engine can bestarted with the gear selector in this position.Apply the parking brake if the vehicle is sta-tionary with the gear selector in position N.
Drive: position DD is the normal driving position. The car auto-
matically shifts between the various forwardgears, based on the level of acceleration andspeed. The car must be at a standstill whenshifting from position R to position D.
Geartronic: manual shifting (+S–)Geartronic allows you to manually shiftamong your vehicle's forward gears. Gear-tronic can be selected at any time. To shift gears manually, move thegear selector to the side from
D
toward +S–. The +S– symbol in the
instrument panel will change from
white to orange and the number of the gear
currently being used (
1, 2, 3, etc.) will be dis-
played (see the following illustration).
• To return to automatic shifting mode from +S–
, move the gear selector to the side
toward D.
Gear shift indicator*
Gear shift indicator in a digital instrument panel* 2
This option indicates when to shift up or down to help conserve fuel. A white arrow willappear above or below the number of thecurrent gear to prompt the driver to shift upor down.
While driving
• If you select the manual shifting position while driving, the gear that was beingused in the Drive position will also initiallybe selected in the manual shifting posi-tion.
• Move the gear selector forward (toward
+)
to shift to a higher gear or rearward(toward –) to shift to a lower gear.
• If you hold the gear selector toward "–",the transmission will downshift one gearat a time and will utilize the braking powerof the engine. If the current speed is toohigh for using a lower gear, the downshiftwill not occur until the speed hasdecreased enough to allow the lower gearto be used.
• If you slow to a very low speed, the trans-mission will automatically shift down.
Shiftlock: Neutral (N)If the gear selector is in the
N position and
the vehicle has been stationary for at least 3 seconds (irrespective of whether the engineis running) then the gear selector is locked. In order to move the gear selector from N to
another gear position, the brake pedal must be depressed and the ignition must be in atleast position II, see page 88.
2
Analog instrument panel: the gear shift indicator is displayed in the center of the speedometer

03 Your driving environment
Transmission
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* Option/accessory, for more information, see Introduction.129
Geartronic: steering wheel paddles*In addition to the manual gearshift function using the gear selector, this option makes itpossible to manually shift gears from thesteering wheel.
Steering-wheel mounted gear shift paddles
" – ": Shift down to a lower gear.
"+ ": Shift up to a higher gear.
In order to shift gears with the paddles, they have to first be activated. The gear selector
can be in either the D or S position. Activating the paddles:
• Pull either paddle toward the steering wheel and release it; the
D in the instru- ment panel will change to the number ofthe gear currently being used.
Shifting gears:
• Pull the paddle toward the steering wheeland release it.
NOTE
If the gear selector was in
D when paddle
shifting was activated ( D changed to the
number of the gear being used), the trans- mission will automatically revert to D after
approximately 5 seconds if the paddlesare not used to shift gears. This will not occur:
• during active driving (e.g., on a wind- ing road, while accelerating, etc)
• if the gear selector was in
S when the
paddles were activated
If the transmission reverts to D, the pad-
dles will have to be reactivated (pull either paddle toward the steering wheel andrelease it) before they can be used to shiftgears again. The paddles can also be manually deacti- vated by pulling both paddles toward thesteering wheel and holding them until thegear number shown in the instrumentpanel changes to D.
Geartronic: Sport mode (S) 3This transmission mode provides sportier shifting characteristics and enables a moreactive driving style by making it possible todrive at higher rpm in each gear before shift-ing up. The engine also responds faster whenthe accelerator pedal is pressed. To access Sport mode from Drive (
D), move
the gear selector to the left. The transmission will not switch to manual shifting mode untilthe gear selector is moved forward or rear-ward toward + or –. Sport mode can be selected any time.
NOTE
• On vehicles equipped with Sport mode, the transmission symbol in themain instrument panel will changefrom
D to S when the gear selector is
moved to the manual shifting mode. Ifthe gear selector is moved toward "+"or "-", the number of the gear currentlybeing used will be displayed, seepage 79).
• Please be aware that using Sportmode may result in a slight decrease infuel economy. Driving in
D can help
improve fuel economy.
3 Certain models only

03 Your driving environment
Transmission
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Geartronic: starting on slippery
surfaces
Selecting 3rd gear in Geartronic’s manual shifting mode can help provide better tractionwhen starting off on slippery surfaces. To doso:
1. Depress the brake pedal and move the gear selector to the side from D toward
+S– .
2. Press the gear selector forward and release it (this selects 2nd gear). Press the selector forward again and release itto select 3rd gear. The optional steeringwheel paddles can also be used; see theprevious section "Geartronic: steeringwheel paddles."
3. Release the brake pedal and press gently on the accelerator pedal.
Shiftlock override
If the vehicle cannot be driven, for example because of a dead battery, the gear selectormust be moved from the P position before
the vehicle can be moved 4
.
Lift away the rubber mat on the floor of the storage compartment behind the cen-ter console to expose the small openingfor overriding the shiftlock system.
Insert the key blade into the opening. Press the key blade down as far as possi-ble and keep it held down.
Move the gear selector from the P posi-
tion. For information on the key blade, see page 64.
All Wheel Drive: AWD 5
Your Volvo can be equipped with permanent All Wheel Drive, which means that power isdistributed automatically between the frontand rear wheels. Under normal driving condi-tions, most of the engine's power is directedto the front wheels. However, if there is anytendency for the front wheels to spin, an elec-tronically controlled coupling distributespower to the wheels that have the best trac-tion.
4
If the battery is dead, the electric parking brake cannot be applied or released. Connect an auxiliary battery if the battery voltage is too low, see page 125.5
Standard on certain models.

03 Your driving environment
Brakes
03
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* Option/accessory, for more information, see Introduction.141
Brake system
The brake system is a hydraulic system con- sisting of two separate brake circuits. If aproblem should occur in one of these circuits,it is still possible to stop the vehicle with theother brake circuit. If the brake pedal must be depressed farther than normal and requires greater foot pres-sure, the stopping distance will be longer. A warning light in the instrument panel will light up to warn the driver that a fault hasoccurred. If this light comes on while driving or braking, stop immediately and check the brake fluidlevel in the reservoir.
NOTE
Press the brake pedal hard and maintain pressure on the pedal – do not pump thebrakes.
WARNING
If the fluid level is below the MIN mark in
the reservoir or if a brake system message is shown in the information display: DO
NOT DRIVE . Have the vehicle towed to a
trained and qualified Volvo service techni-cian and have the brake system inspected.
Brake pad inspectionOn vehicles equipped with a jack*, the condi- tion of the brake pads can be checked byraising the vehicle (see page 331 for informa-tion about using the jack and removing awheel) and performing a visual inspection ofthe brake pads.
WARNING
• If the vehicle has been driven immedi- ately prior to a brake pad inspection,the wheel hub, brake components,etc., will be very hot. Allow time forthese components to cool before car-rying out the inspection.
• Apply the parking brake and put thegear selector in the Park (
P) position.
• Block the wheels standing on theground, use rigid wooden blocks orlarge stones.
WARNING
•Use the jack intended for the vehicle when changing a tire. For any otherjob, use stands to support the vehicle.
• The jack should be kept well-greasedand clean, and should not be dam-aged.
• Be sure the jack is on a firm, level,non-slippery surface.
• No objects should be placed betweenthe base of jack and the ground, orbetween the jack and the attachmentbar on the vehicle.
• The jack must correctly engage thejack attachment.
• Never allow any part of your body tobe extended under a vehicle suppor-ted by a jack.
Brake lightsThe brake lights come on automatically when the brakes are applied.
Adaptive brake lightsThe adaptive brake lights activate in the event of sudden braking or if the ABS system isactivated. This function causes an additionaltaillight on each side of the vehicle to illumi-nate to help alert vehicles traveling behind.

03 Your driving environment
Brakes
03
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The adaptive brake lights activate if: •The ABS system activates for more than approximately a half second
• In the event of sudden braking while thevehicle is moving at speeds aboveapproximately 6 mph (10 km/h)
When the vehicle has come to a stop, the brake lights and additional taillights remain onfor as long as the brake pedal is depressed oruntil braking force on the vehicle is reduced.
Power brakes function only when the engine is running
The power brakes utilize vacuum pressure which is only created when the engine is run-ning. Never let the vehicle roll to a stop withthe engine switched off. If the power brakes are not working, consid- erably higher pressure will be required on thebrake pedal to compensate for the lack ofpower assistance. This can happen for exam-ple when towing your vehicle or if the engineis switched off when the vehicle is rolling. Thebrake pedal feels harder than usual.
Water on brake discs and brake pads affects braking
Driving in rain and slush or passing throughan automatic car wash can cause water tocollect on the brake discs and pads. This willcause a delay in braking effect when the pedal is depressed. To avoid such a delaywhen the brakes are needed, depress thepedal occasionally when driving through rain,slush, etc. This will remove the water from thebrakes. Check that brake application feelsnormal. This should also be done after wash-ing or starting in very damp or cold weather.
Severe strain on the brake systemThe brakes will be subject to severe strainwhen driving in mountains or hilly areas, orwhen towing a trailer. Vehicle speed is usuallyslower, which means that the cooling of thebrakes is less efficient than when driving onlevel roads. To reduce the strain on thebrakes, shift into a lower gear and let theengine help with the braking. Do not forgetthat if you are towing a trailer, the brakes willbe subjected to a greater than normal load.
Anti-lock braking system (ABS)The Anti-lock Braking System (ABS) helps toimprove vehicle control (stopping and steer-ing) during severe braking conditions by limit-ing brake lockup. When the system "senses"impending lockup, braking pressure is auto-matically modulated in order to help preventlockup that could lead to a skid. The system performs a brief self-diagnostic test when the engine has been started anddriver releases the brake pedal. Another auto-matic test may be performed when the vehi-
cle first reaches a speed of approximately6 mph (10 km/h). The brake pedal will pulsateseveral times and a sound may be audiblefrom the ABS control module, which is nor-mal.
Cleaning the brake discsCoatings of dirt and water on the brake discsmay result in delayed brake function. Thisdelay is minimized by cleaning the brake lin-ings. Cleaning the brake pads is advisable in wet weather, prior to long-term parking, and afterthe vehicle has been washed. Do this bybraking gently for a short period while thevehicle is moving.
Emergency Brake AssistanceEBA is designed to provide full brake effectimmediately in the event of sudden, hardbraking. The system is activated by the speedwith which the brake pedal is depressed. When the EBA system is activated, the brake pedal will go down and pressure in the brakesystem immediately increases to the maxi-mum level. Maintain full pressure on thebrake pedal in order to utilize the systemcompletely. EBA is automatically deactivatedwhen the brake pedal is released.

03 Your driving environment
Brakes
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NOTE
•When the EBA system is activated, the brake pedal will go down and pressurein the brake system immediatelyincreases to the maximum level. Youmust maintain full pressure on thebrake pedal in order to utilize the sys-tem completely. There will be no brak-ing effect if the pedal is released. EBAis automatically deactivated when thebrake pedal is released.
• When the vehicle has been parked forsome time, the brake pedal may sinkmore than usual when the engine isstarted. This is normal and the pedalwill return to its usual position when itis released.
Symbols in the instrument panel
SymbolSpecification
Steady glow – Check the brake fluid level. If the level is low, fillwith brake fluid and check forthe cause of the brake fluidloss.
Steady glow for two seconds when the engine is started –There was a fault in the brakesystem's ABS function whenthe engine was last running.
WARNING
If and come on at the
same time and the brake level is below the MIN mark in the reservoir or if a brake sys-
tem-related message is shown in the infor-mation display: DO NOT DRIVE . Have the
vehicle towed to a trained and qualifiedVolvo service technician and have thebrake system inspected.