Instrument Panel legibility in daylight

[Warren from Toronto]

Hello all: I just purchased my first Volvo (2004 xc with 95kms). Have owned 7 Jeep Grand Cherokees up to now.......but wanted a wagon that got better mileage than 17mpg city and 21mpg hwy(4.7 ltr V8).

Love the XC70 so far and mileage is about 28mpg.....a nice change. One item I plan to work on right away is an annoying minor thud/thump from the front suspension....I suspected it was the stabilizer bar bushings almost immediately, as this was a common Jeep problem, and after vewing some of the posts here, it appears to be a common problem as well on xc70's. One of the posts was also good enough to include the procedure on how to DIY. Dealer here sells the ends for $65.00 per side.....seems reasonable to me.

The other thing that I find annoying so far (maybe it's just my lousy eyesight) is the fact that the green figures in the digital dash windows, are VIRTUALLY IMPOSSIBLE to read on a bright sunny day.
As a matter, they are pretty difficult to read in any daylight............but perfectly clear and legible at night. Is it just MY car, or is this fairly common, and I 'll just have to get used to it? As far as I can see there is only the rotating interior light knob that regulates the interior lighting at night, and it already at max.....

Another item - the message window says "vehicle due for regular maintenance" but since I plan on doing the basic work myself (to better learn about the car) I'm wondering how (without a dealer trip) one "resets" this message reminder (it comes on every time I start the car)..........I've heard some volvo owners of other models say the dealer technicians insert the ignition key in the drivers door and turn it on/off 6 times and this "RESETS the cars COMPUTERS.........Is this true? Would it RESET the message screen as well?

Any help would be appreciated

Warren

[JRL]

It's almost every one

[dlr97]

I suggest you check out the IPD.COM heavy duty sway bar end links.

There are posts on this forum that describe how to reset the service light.

[uscgc70]

The thing that i noticed with the instrumentation is that the digits disappear if you are wearing polarized sunglasses. do you wear sunglasses alot? if so take them off. as far as resetting the service message, http://www.volvoxc.com/resources/how...procedures.pdf

[santon]

My car has tints and I have never experience that problem, so thats always an option.

I had the same issue with the resetting that message about regular maintenance. found this and it worked me. I have a 2003 in Toronto.

Wondering what kind of gas mileage you getting to a full tank, city/highway. I seem to get about 550 with 50km left to teh tank, can almost squeeze 600 out of it all within in toronto if i take it doen to the "---" miles left. I've gotten 800 or so all highway. just curious. Hope the below works for you.
One more tip for you, I had to buy a 10 inch power steering hose that was leakign, goes from reservoir to pump. Dealer wanted $100, called this place called "volvo-guys" at eglinton and caledonia and got a used one for $20. Volvo did end up shafting me in the end for a liter of green power steering fluid at $30. Those volvo guys have alot of parts, and they are pretty accomodating, they will come to your car outside , see the part you need, go back and look for it and bring it out to make sure its right one etc.


Ignition position I
Press and hold in the reset button for the trip odometer
Turn the key to position II within 2 seconds.
Keep holding the reset button for the trip meter pressed in until the original value has been reset.
For all vehicles from the 2003 model year a general yellow lamp will light when the reset button must be released.
Release the reset button for the trip odometer within 4 seconds. The instrument gives an audible signal when resetting has succeeded
If the trip meter is already reset the reset button should be held in for a minimum of 10 seconds and a maximum of 14 seconds.
If the reset button for the trip odometer is not released within 4 seconds and before the light stops flashing, the service reminder indicator is not reset.

[Forkster]

The service reset procedure is also detailed in the FAQ.

[Willy]

I never experienced problems reading the instruments or the figures in the windows. I set
the lighting level to be OK during the day, it will auto-dim in the dark. If
I should turn the level all the way up, the figures become to bright.
Willy

[Warren from Toronto]

Thank you for your prompt reply...........I'll certainly keep the Eglinton/Caledonia shop in mind. I'm going out to the garage right now to follow the instructions you included on resetting the "message reminder"

Warren