2009 Volvo S60 Owner's Manual - Page 148

06 Starting and driving Cold weather precautions If you wish to check your vehicle before the approach of cold weather, the following advice is worth noting: ers, 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 antirust oil on the battery posts. • Make sure that the engine coolant contains 50 percent antifreeze. Any other 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 types of antifreeze must not be mixed. • Volvo recommends the use of snow tires on all four wheels for winter driving - see section "Wheels and tires." • Volvo recommends using only genuine Volvo antifreeze in your vehicle's radiator. • To prevent the washer fluid reservoir from freezing, add washer solvents containing antifreeze (see page 192 for the location of the washer fluid reservoir). This is important since dirt is often splashed on the windshield during winter driving, requiring the frequent use of the washers and wipers. Volvo Washer Solvent should be diluted as follows: • 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 fuel line de-icer before refueling. 06 • 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 type1, is recommended. Be sure to use good quality oil but do not use cold-weather oil for hard driving or in warm weather. See section "Engine oil" for more information. • Use Volvo Teflon Lock Spray in the locks. NOTE Avoid the use of de-icing sprays as they can cause damage to the locks. • The load placed on the battery is greater during the winter since the windshield wip1 Synthetic oil is not used when the oil is changed at the normal maintenance service intervals. 148