steering VOLVO V50 2009 Owner´s Manual

02 Instruments and controls
Lighting panel
02``61
G026415
Pos.
LightingDaytime running lights off. High
beam flash only.Parking lightsDaytime running lights. High
beams and high beam flash can
be used in this position.
Parking lightsThe front and rear parking lights can be turned
on even when the ignition is switched off.
±
Turn switch (1) to the parking light position.
The license plate lights also illuminate when the
parking lights are switched on.Headlights1.
Turn the ignition key to position II.
2. The low beam headlights (daytime running
lights) illuminate automatically, except
when the light switch (1) is in the parking
light position
1.
NOTE
See page 64 for information on switching
between high and low beams.
Active Bi-Xenon Lights (ABL)–option
G026507
Lighting panel, vehicles with Active Bi-Xenon
Ÿ
headlightsWhen the ABL function is activated, the head-
light beams adjust laterally to help light up a
curve according to movements of the steering
wheel.
This function can be activated by turning the
lighting switch to the ABL position (indicated
by the arrow in the illustration). The indicator
light
in the ABL symbol will illuminate.
The function can be deactivated by turning the
lighting switch counterclockwise to one of the
other lighting positions.
1On Canadian models, the daytime running lights will remain on with the light switch in this position.

02 Instruments and controlsLeft-side steering wheel lever
0264
Lever positions
G026954
Turn signals, lane change positionTurn signals, position for normal turnsHigh beam flashToggle between high and low beams,
Home Safe lighting
Turn signalsWhen turning±
Move the lever as far up or down as pos-
sible (to position 2) to start the turn signals.
The turn signals will be cancelled automatically
by the movement of the steering wheel, or the
lever can be returned to its initial position by
hand.When changing lanesThe driver can automatically flash the turn sig-
nals 3 times by:•
Moving the turn signal lever up or down to
position 1 and releasing it.
•
Moving the lever up or down to position 2
and immediately back to its original posi-
tion.NOTE
•
This automatic flashing sequence can
be interrupted by immediately moving
the lever in the opposite direction.
•
If the turn signal indicator flashes faster
than normal, check for a burned-out
turn signal bulb.
High/low beam headlightsContinuous high beams1.
Turn the ignition key to position II.
2.
With the light switch (1) in position
,
see page 61, pull the turn signal lever
toward the steering wheel (position 4) to
toggle between high and low beams.
High beam flash1.
Turn the ignition key to position II.
2. Pull the turn signal lever to position 3. The
high beams will remain on until the lever is
released.Home safe lightingWhen you leave your car at night, you can
make use of the home safe lighting function to
illuminate the area in front of the car.
1. Remove the key from the ignition switch.
2. Pull the direction indicator lever as far as
possible towards the steering wheel (to
position 4) and release it.
3. Exit the car and lock the doors.
The headlights and parking lights will illuminate
and remain on for 30
1, 60 or 90 seconds. The
time interval can be changed according to your
1Factory setting

02 Instruments and controls
Left-side steering wheel lever
0265
preferences by using the Personal Settings
function, see page 82 for more information.

02 Instruments and controlsCruise control (option)
0268
Engaging the cruise control function
G020141
The cruise control buttons are located on the
left side of the steering wheel hub.
NOTE
This does not set the vehicle's speed.1.
Press the CRUISE button.
CRUISE
will
appear in the function display in the center
of the instrument panel.
2.
Press+ or – to set the current speed.
CRUISE ON
will be displayed.
Increasing or decreasing speed
G031667
Use+ or – in the following ways to increase or
decrease the vehicle's speed:
1.
Press and hold down + or – until the vehicle
reaches the desired speed. This will
become the set speed when the button is
released.
2.
Press+ or – for approximately a half sec-
ond and release the button to increase or
decrease vehicle speed by approximately
1 mph (1.6 km/h).
NOTE
•
Cruise control will not function at
speeds below 20 mph (30 km/h).
•
Momentary acceleration, for less than
1 minute (e.g. when passing another
car), does not affect cruise control oper-
ation. The car will automatically return
to the previously set speed when the
accelerator pedal is released.
Temporarily disengaging the cruise
control•
Press0 to temporarily disengage cruise
control.
CRUISE
will appear in the function display.
The currently set speed is stored in the sys-
tem's memory.
Cruise control is also automatically
disengaged:•
If the speed drops below approximately
20 mph (30 km/h) when driving uphill.
•
When the brake or clutch pedal is
depressed.
•
If the gear selector is moved to posi-
tionN.

02 Instruments and controlsRight-side steering wheel lever
0270
Windshield wipers
00
A
C
D
B
G025411
Windshield/headlight washersRain sensor (option) – on/of, see page 70Thumb wheelTailgate wiper/washer
Windshield wipers off
The windshield wipers are off when
the lever is in position 0.
Manual wiper function
From position 0, move the lever
upward. The windshield wipers will
sweep one stroke at a time for as
long as the lever is held up.
Intermittent wiper function
With the lever in this position, you
can set the wiper interval by mov-
ing the thumb wheel (C) upward to
increase wiper speed or down-
ward to decrease the speed.
Continuous wiper function
The wipers operate at "normal"
speed.
High speed wiper function.
A–Windshield washersPull the lever toward the steering wheel and
release it. The wipers will make 2–3 sweeps
across the windshield after the lever has been
released.
CAUTION
•
Use ample washer fluid when washing
the windshield. The windshield should
be thoroughly wet when the wipers are
in operation.
•
Before using the wipers, ice and snow
should be removed from the wind-
shield/rear window. Be sure the wiper
blades are not frozen in place.
Headlight washers (certain models)When the lever has been pulled, high pressure
jets mounted in the bumper will spray the head-
lights.
The following applies to conserve washer fluid,
see page 61 for information on the light switch
positions:Low/high beam headlights onThe headlights will be washed the first time the
windshield is washed. Thereafter, the head-
lights will only be washed once for every five
times the windshield is washed within a 10-
minute period.Parking lights onOptional Bi-Xenon
Ÿ headlights will be washed
once for every five times the windshield is
washed.
Normal halogen headlights will not be washed.

02 Instruments and controls
Right-side steering wheel lever
02``71 B – Rain sensor (option)
G026422
The rain sensor regulates windshield wiper
speed according to the amount of water on the
windshield. The sensitivity of the rain sensor is
adjusted by moving the thumb wheel (C in the
illustration on the previous page) up (the wipers
will sweep the windshield more frequently) or
down (the wipers will sweep the windshield
less frequently).On/Off
Activating the rain sensor1. Switch on the ignition.
2. Put the windshield wiper lever in position
0.3. Press button B (see page 70). The rain sen-
sor symbol will appear in the lower display.
Manual deactivationThe rain sensor can be deactivated by:•
Pressing button (B).
or
•
Moving the windshield wiper lever down.NOTE
The rain sensor function will remain acti-
vated if the lever is briefly moved up to
activate the "manual sweep" function.
CAUTION
The rain sensor should be deactivated when
washing the car in an automatic car wash,
etc. If the rain sensor function is left on, the
wipers will start inadvertently in the car
wash and could be damaged.Automatic deactivationThe rain sensor is deactivated automatically in
the following situations:•
When the key is removed from the ignition.
•
Five minutes after the ignition is switched
off if the key is left in the ignition.
C – Thumb wheelThe thumb wheel is used to set the wiper inter-
val when intermittent wiping is selected, or the
sensitivity to the amount of rain on the wind-
shield when the rain sensor is selected. Move
the wheel upward or downward to increase/
decrease wiper speed when the intermittent
function is selected, or to increase/decrease
the optional rain sensor's sensitivity when the
this function is activated.D – Tailgate wiper/washerPress the lever forward to wipe and wash the
tailgate window. The wiper will sweep the win-
dow several times after the lever has been
released.
The button at the end of the lever has three
positions:•
Intermittent wiping: Press in the upper sec-
tion of the button.
•
Normal wiper speed: Press in the lower
section of the button.
•
Neutral position: The wiper function is
switched off.

02 Instruments and controlsRight-side steering wheel lever
0272
Tailgate wiper and reverse gear•
If the front wipers are on and the transmis-
sion is put into reverse gear, the tailgate
wiper will be activated.
•
If the transmission is in reverse and the
manual windshield wiper function is used
(the lever is pushed upward), the tailgate
wiper will also be activated for as long the
lever is held up.
•
If the tailgate wiper is already in normal
wiping function, the normal wiping function
will continue.

02 Instruments and controls
Steering wheel adjustment, Hazard warning flashers
0273 Steering wheel adjustment
G020143
Both the height and the reach of the steering
wheel can be adjusted to a comfortable posi-
tion for the driver.
1. Pull down the lever on the steering column
to release the steering wheel.
2. Adjust the steering wheel to a suitable
position
3. Press the lever back into place to lock the
steering wheel in the new position. If nec-
essary, press the steering wheel slightly
while pressing the lever into the locked
position.Check that the steering wheel is locked in the
new position.
WARNING
Never adjust the steering wheel while driv-
ing.Hazard warning flashers
G020144
The four-way flasher should be used to indi-
cate that the vehicle has become a traffic haz-
ard. To activate the flashers, press the triangu-
lar button in the center dash. Press the button
again to turn off the flashers.
NOTE
•
Regulations regarding the use of the
hazard warning flasher may vary,
depending on where you live.
•
The hazard warning flashers will be acti-
vated automatically if an airbag
deploys.

02 Instruments and controls
Personal settings
02``83
•
Global (All doors) – unlocks all doors and
the tailgate with one press on the remote
control.
•
Two Step (Two-stage unlocking) – This
alternative unlocks the driver's door with
one press on the remote control. A second
press unlocks the passenger's door and
the tailgate.
Automatically folding the door mirrorsThe setting makes it possible to automatically
fold the door mirrors in or out when the vehicle
is locked or unlocked. See page 78.Operating side windowsThe following alternative can be selected for
opening all side windows at the same time by
pressing and holding the Unlock switch in
either of the front doors (see page 127 for
additional information)
1
NOTE
The ignition key must be in position I or
higher (see page 143) before all side win-
dows can be opened using the switches in
the front doors.•
Auto open all windows On/Off
Temporarily turning off the alarm
sensor(s)The alarm sensors can be temporarily turned
off (if, for example, a person or a pet remains
in the vehicle when the doors are locked from
outside with the remote control). There are two
alternatives:
Activate once
and
Ask on exit
,
see page 118 and 130 .
Approach lightingThis alternative determines the length of time
for which the car's lights will remain on when
the Approach light button on the central lock-
ing system's remote control is pressed. Inter-
vals of 30/60/90 seconds may be selected, see
teh section "Remote control functions" for
more information.Home safe lightingThis alternative determines the length of time
for which the car's lights will remain on when
the high beam lever on the steering column is
pulled toward the wheel with the ignition
switched off. Intervals of 30/60/90 seconds
may be selected, see page 64 for information
on using this function.
Information•
VIN number – The VIN (Vehicle Identifica-
tion Number) is the car's unique identity
number.
•
Number of Keys – the number of keys reg-
istered for the car is displayed here.
Climate functions•
Blower speed in AUTO mode – the blower
speed can be set to AUTO mode in models
equipped with ECC. Choose between
"Low", "Normal" and "High".
•
Timer for recirculation – when the timer is
active, the air recirculates in the car for 3–
12 minutes depending on the ambient tem-
perature. Select On/Off depending on
whether the recirculation timer is to be
active or not.
Keyless locking and unlocking (option as
available)The following alternatives can be selected for
locking and unlocking the doors and tailgate:•
All doors – all doors are locked or unlocked
at the same time.
•
Doors on the same side – front and rear
doors on the same side are unlocked
together.
1This menu alternative also makes it possible to open all side windows by pressing and holding the Unlock button on the remote control for several seconds.

06 Starting and drivingGeneral information
06136
Economical driving conserves natural
resourcesBetter driving economy may be obtained by
thinking ahead, avoiding rapid starts and stops
and adjusting the speed of your vehicle to
immediate traffic conditions.
Observe the following rules:•
Bring the engine to normal operating tem-
perature as soon as possible by driving
with a light foot on the accelerator pedal for
the first few minutes of operation. A cold
engine uses more fuel and is subject to
increased wear.
•
Whenever possible, avoid using the vehicle
for driving short distances. This does not
allow the engine to reach normal operating
temperature.
•
Drive carefully and avoid rapid acceleration
and hard braking.
•
Use the transmission's Drive (D) position
as often as possible and avoid using kick-
down.
•
Do not exceed posted speed limits.
•
Avoid carrying unnecessary items (extra
load) in the vehicle.
•
Maintain correct tire pressure. Check tire
pressure regularly (when tires are cold).
•
Remove snow tires when threat of snow or
ice has ended.
•
Note that roof racks, ski racks, etc,
increase air resistance and also fuel con-
sumption.
•
At highway driving speeds, fuel consump-
tion will be lower with the air conditioning
on and the windows closed than with the
air conditioning off and the windows open.
•
Using the onboard trip computer's fuel
consumption modes can help you learn
how to drive more economically.
Other factors that decrease gas mileage
are:•
Dirty air cleaner
•
Dirty engine oil and clogged oil filter
•
Dragging brakes
•
Incorrect front end alignment
Some of the above mentioned items and others
are checked at the standard maintenance
intervals.
WARNING
Driving with the tailgate open: Driving with
the tailgate open could lead to poisonous
exhaust gases entering the passenger com-
partment. If the tailgate must be kept open
for any reason, proceed as follows:
1. Close the windows.
2. Set the ventilation system control to air
flow to floor, windshield and side win-
dows and the blower control to its high-
est setting.Weight distribution affects handlingAt the specified curb weight your vehicle has a
tendency to understeer, which 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 properties can alter with the vehicle load.
The heavier the load in the cargo area, the less
the tendency to understeer.