Volvo PV 544 Instruction Book page 17

Starting in a garage
If you start your vehicle in a garage,
always open the garage doors before you
start the engine. The exhaust gases from
the engine contain the poisonous gas
carbon monoxide which is particularly
dangerous since it is both invisible and
odorless. Air containing only 0.2 %
carbon monoxide can be fatal if breathed
in for half-an-hour.
Braking
You should attempt to use the brakes as little as possible. Use the engine as a
brake instead by releasing the accelerator pedal in good time. Violent braking is
only justified in dangerous situations and even in such situations the wheels must
not be locked. Remember that the best braking effect is obtained if the wheels
continue to rotate slowly.
Steady acceleration and gentle braking are characeristic for a good driver and also
result in the most economic running. Apply brakes before going into a curve and
use your transmission on downhill gradients so that you save unnecessary wear
on both the brakes and the tires.
Binding brakes
When air humidity is high it can happen that moisture comes in into the brake
linings and this can cause the brakes to bind when applied. The best way to eliminate
this is to carry out a long, gentle braking whereby the moisture will evaporate
through the heat developed.
Towing
If the vehicle is to be towed, the
tow-line should not be attached
directly to the bumpers but should
be taken round the
supports. While the vehicle is
being towed, the tow-line should
be kept evenly stretched since
violent jerks can damage
I
bumpers.
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bumper
the
Servicing
Before the vehicle was delivered from the factory it was subjected to a very
thorough inspection. Your dealer, in his turn, carried out a further delivery
inspection in accordance with the specifications of the Volvo factory. In addition to
this there are the two cost-free service inspections after 1 000 km (600 miles) and
2500 km (1 500 miles). After these inspections the servicing of the vehicle should
follow the routine in the service book which is based on a rubber stamp system
with all-round lubrication after every 1 250 km (750 miles) and service inspections
after every 5 000 km (3 000 miles) running. The simplest (and in the long run most
profitable) way to give the vehicle the servicing it requires is to have all the
servicing done by a Volvo workshop. You will then have all the work shown in the
service book carried out in accordance with fixed prices and the workshop stamp in
the service book will show how the vehicle is being serviced — this is also
extremely important as far as second-hand value is concerned.
If you prefer to carry out these simpler servicing procedures yourself or if you are
sometimes obliged to have these done by a workshop outside the Volvo
organization, this chapter contains some advice about when and how these
servicing procedures should be carried out.
For the sake of convenience, the servicing procedures have been summarised in a
maintenance scheme on the following page.
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