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VOLVO
V50

Introduction




Welcome to the worldwide family of Volvo owners. We hope that you will enjoy many years of safe driving in your Volvo, an automobile designed with your safety and comfort in mind. To help ensure your satisfaction with this vehicle, we encourage you to familiarize yourself with the equipment descriptions, operating instructions and maintenance requirements/recommendations in this manual. We also urge you and your passengers to wear seat belts at all times in this (or any other) automobile. And, of course, please do not operate a vehicle if you may be affected by alcohol, medication or any impairment that could hinder your ability to drive.

Your Volvo is designed to meet all applicable safety and emission standards, as indicated by the certification labels attached to the driver's door opening, and on the underside of the hood.

For further information please contact your retailer, or:
In the USA: Volvo Cars of North America
Customer Care Center
P.O. Box 914 Rockleigh, New Jersey 07647-0914
1-800-458-1552
http://www.volvocars.us

In Canada:Volvo Cars of Canada Ltd.
Customer Care Center
175 Gordon Baker Road
North York, Ontario M2H 2N7
1-800-663-8255
http://www.volvocanada.com
2006 © Volvo Cars of North America, LLC

Introduction

General information

Shiftlock
When your car is parked, the gear selector is locked in the (P)ark position. To release the selector from this position, turn the ignition key to position II (or start the engine), depress the brake pedal, press the button on the front side of the gear selector and move the selector from (P)ark.

Keylock
When the ignition is switched off, the gear selector must be in the (P)ark position before the key can be removed from the ignition switch.

Anti-lock Brake System (ABS)
The ABS system in your car performs a self-diagnostic test when the vehicle first reaches the speed of approximately 12 mph (20 km/h). The brake pedal will pulsate several times and a sound may be audible from the ABS control module. This is normal.

Fuel filler door
Press the button on the light switch panel when the car is at a standstill to open the fuel filler door.

Fuel filler cap
After refueling, close the fuel filler cap by turning it clockwise until it clicks into place. If this cap is not closed tightly or if the engine is running when the car is refueled, the Malfunction Indicator Lamp ("Check Engine" light) may indicate a fault.

Points to keep in mind

  • Before you operate your vehicle for the first time, please familiarize yourself with the new-engine oil consumption information on page 187. You should also be familiar with the information found in the chapters "Instruments and controls", and "Starting and driving".
  • Information contained in the balance of the manual is extremely useful and should be read after operating the vehicle for the first time.
  • The manual is structured so that it can be used for reference. For this reason, it should be kept in the vehicle for ready access.
  • Do not export your Volvo to another country before investigating that country's applicable safety and emission control requirements. In some cases it may be difficult or impossible to comply with these requirements. Modifications to the emission control system(s) may render your Volvo not certifiable for legal operation in the U.S., Canada and other countries.
  • All information, illustrations and specifications contained in this manual are based on the latest product information available at the time of publication. Please note that some vehicles may be equipped differently, depending on special legal requirements. Optional equipment described in this manual may not be available in all markets.
  • Volvo reserves the right to make model changes at any time, or to change specifications or design without notice and without incurring obligation.

    WARNING!
    If your vehicle is involved in an accident, unseen damage may affect its driveability and safety.

    Introduction

    WARNING!
    CALIFORNIA proposition 65
    Engine exhaust, some of its constituents, and certain vehicle components contain or emit chemicals known to the state of California to cause cancer, and birth defects or other reproductive harm. In addition, certain fluids contained in vehicles and certain products of component wear contain or emit chemicals known to the State of California to cause cancer, and birth defects or other reproductive harm.

    Volvo and the environment
    Volvo is committed to the well being of its customers. As a natural part of this commitment, we care about the environment in which we all live. Caring for the environment means an everyday involvement in reducing our environmental impact. Volvo's environmental activities are based on a holistic view, which means we consider the overall environmental impact of a product throughout its complete life cycle. In this context, design, production, product use, and recycling are all important considerations. In production, Volvo has partly or completely phased out several chemicals including freons, lead chromates, naphtanates, asbestos, mercury and cadmium; and reduced the amount of chemicals used in our plants 50% since 1991.

    Volvo was the first in the world to introduce into production a three-way catalytic converter with a Lambda sond, now called the heated oxygen sensor, in 1976. The current version of this highly efficient system reduces emissions of harmful substances (CO, HC, NOx) from the exhaust pipe by approximately 95% and the search to eliminate the remaining emissions continues. Volvo is the only automobile manufacturer to offer CFC-free retrofit kits for the air conditioning system of all models as far back as the 1975 model 240. Advanced electronic engine controls, refined purification systems and cleaner fuels are bringing us closer to our goal. After Volvo cars and parts have fulfilled their use, recycling is the next critical step in completing the life cycle. The metal content is about 75% of the total weight of a car, which makes the car among the most recycled industrial products. In order to have efficient and well controlled recycling, many Volvo variants have printed dismantling manuals, indicating the weight and material of individual components. For Volvo, all homogeneous plastic parts weighing more than 1.7 oz. (50 grams) are marked with international symbols that indicate how the component is to be sorted for recycling. In addition to continuous environmental refinement of conventional gasoline-powered internal combustion engines, Volvo is actively looking at advanced technology alternative-fuel vehicles.

    When you drive a Volvo, you become our partner in the work to lessen the car's impact on the environment. To reduce your vehicle's environmental impact, you can:

  • Maintain proper air pressure in your tires. Tests have shown decreased fuel economy with improperly inflated tires.
  • Follow the recommended maintenance schedule in your Warranty and Service Records Information booklet.
  • Drive at a constant speed whenever possible.
  • See an authorized Volvo retailer as soon as possible for inspection if the check engine (malfunction indicator) lamp illuminates, or stays on after the vehicle has started.
  • Properly dispose of any vehicle-related waste such as used motor oil, used batteries, brake pads, etc.

    Introduction

  • When cleaning your car, use Volvo's own car care products, all of which have systematically been adapted to the environment.

    PremAir®
    The surface of the radiator in the engine compartment is treated with a special coating called Premair1*. This coating works as a catalytic converter, converting most of the ground level ozone passing through the radiator into oxygen, thereby reducing harmful ground-level ozone.

    1 PremAir is a registered trademark of Engelhard Corporation.

    Contents

    Contents
    Chapter 1 - Instrument overview
    Chapter 2 - Safety
    Chapter 3 - Instruments and controls
    Chapter 4 - Climate
    Chapter 5 - Interior
    Chapter 6 - Locks and alarm
    Chapter 7 - Starting and driving
    Chapter 8 - Wheels and tires
    Chapter 9 - Vehicle care
    Chapter 10 - Maintenance and servicing
    Chapter 11 - Audio
    Chapter 12 - Specifications
    Index



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