Volvo XC90 owner manual Cold weather precautions

06 Starting and driving

				Cold weather precautions
If you wish to check your vehicle before the		or in warm weather. See section "Engine	• Down to 0 ° F (–18 ° C):1 part washer sol-
approach of cold weather, the following advice		oil" for more information.		vent and 2 parts water
is worth noting:	•	The load placed on the battery is greater	• Down to –18 ° F (–28 ° C): 1 part washer
• Make sure that the engine coolant contains		during the winter since the windshield wip-		solvent and 1 part water
50 percent antifreeze. Any other mixture		ers, lighting, etc. are used more often.	• Use Volvo Teflon Lock Spray in the locks.
will reduce freeze protection. This gives		Moreover, the capacity of the battery
protection against freezing down to –31 °F		decreases as the temperature drops. In		NOTE
		very cold weather, a poorly charged bat-
(–35 °C). See section "Coolant".
			Avoid the use of de-icing sprays as they can
• The use of "recycled" antifreeze is not		tery can freeze and be damaged. It is there-
		fore advisable to check the state of charge	cause damage to the locks.
approved by Volvo. Different types of
		more frequently and spray an antirust oil on
antifreeze must not be mixed.
		the battery posts.	W – Winter/Wet driving mode – enhanced
• Volvo recommends using only genuine
	•	Volvo recommends the use of snow tires
			vehicle traction
Volvo antifreeze in your vehicle's radiator.
		on all four wheels for winter driving – see	• Mode W will only function if the gear selec-
Your Volvo retailer stocks plenty of Volvo
		section "Wheels and tires."
engine coolant to protect your vehicle dur-				tor is in the (D)rive position.
	•	To prevent the washer fluid reservoir
ing cold weather.			• Press the button at the base of the gear
		from freezing, add washer solvents con-
• Try to keep the fuel tank well filled – this				selector to engage/disengage this driving
		taining antifreeze (see page 217 for the
prevents the formation of condensation in				mode.
		location of the washer fluid reservoir). This
the tank. In addition, in extremely cold			• An LED in the button will light up to indicate
		is important since dirt is often splashed on
weather conditions it is worthwhile to add		the windshield during winter driving,		that W is engaged and this will also be dis-
fuel line de-icer before refueling.				played in the instrument panel (see
		requiring the frequent use of the washers
• The viscosity of the engine oil is important.				page 58).
		and wipers. Volvo Washer Solvent should
Oil with low viscosity (thinner oil) improves		be diluted as follows:	• This mode may be selected for starting/
cold-weather starting as well as decreas-	•	Down to 14 ° F (–10 ° C): 1 part washer		moving off on slippery roads.
ing fuel consumption while the engine is
		solvent and 4 parts water
warming up. For winter use, 5W-30 oil, par-
	•	Down to 5 ° F (–15 ° C): 1 part washer sol-
ticularly the synthetic type1, is recom-
mended. Be sure to use good quality oil but		vent and 3 parts water
do not use cold-weather oil for hard driving

06

1Synthetic oil is not used when the oil is changed at the normal maintenance service intervals except at owner request and at additional charge. Please consult your Volvo retailer.

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