News & Technical tips

Volvo for sale?

Volvo’s June ’08 announcement in Sweden, that it will lay-off 2000 of its Swedish staff and cancel 500 consultancy contracts, as part of a cost-cutting plan has already sparked rumours of a sell-off by parent company Ford.  

Although any sale by Ford of Volvo would be complicated, it is looking increasingly likely despite denials. Having already sold off Jaguar, LandRover and Aston Martin as it tries to claw its way back to profitability, it is looking increasingly likely that Volvo too will soon find itself on the auction block, despite the obvious attractions that the respected Swedish brand still holds.

Volvo Recharge

Volvo introduced its Volvo ReCharge Concept at the Frankfurt motor show, a plug-in hybrid with individual electric wheel motors and batteries that can be recharged via a regular electrical outlet for maximum environmental benefit.

Recharging allows the car to be driven about 100 kilometres on battery power alone before the car’s four-cylinder Flexifuel engine is needed to power the car and recharge the battery.

Plugging into an electrical outlet, it will take about 3 hours for a full recharge.  When driving on electric power only, operating costs are expected to be about 80 percent lower than that of a comparable petrol-powered car.  Volvo estimate that a 150km drive will require less than 2.8 litre of fuel and should have about 66 percent lower emissions of carbon dioxide compared with the best hybrid cars available on the market today

 

New Models released

The 2008 9-3 is a virtual re-skin of the four-year-old range, with Saab-first all-wheel drive availability for the sedan and wagon leading the charge.

On sale from November the revised 9-3 will also offer a second, sportier diesel variant.

The big news is what lies beneath the latest 9-3. Saab’s Cross-Wheel Drive (XWD) setup, supplied by Sweden’s Haldex firm, will underpin all future models from now on – including the next 9-5 and new 9-4X crossover (2008), and 2009’s 9-1 small-car series.  Being fully automatic and on-demand, XWD can send up to 100 per cent of torque to the rear wheels, but only transmits between five and 10 per cent in normal cruising conditions.

The major innovation with XWD is that when the driver accelerates from standstill, the clutch plates are forced together under hydraulic pressure to activate the Rear Drive Module, resulting in a “preemptive” actuation of AWD without having to wait for sensors to detect slippage first before kicking in the rear wheels, as virtually all other current on-demand systems do.

On the engine front, the 1.9-litre TTiD is a development of the twin-cam 16-valve common-rail turbo-diesel unit GM co-devised with Fiat. It produces 132kW of power and 400Nm of torque via a segment-fi rst two-stage turbocharging system.

Saab’s figures put the TTiD sedan’s fuel consumption at 5.9L/100km, while delivering in-gear performance “on par” with the revised 2.8-litre V6 turbo. For XWD applications, that engine’s power and torque outputs increase to 206kW and 400Nm respectively in European specification. The front-drive version gets a 4kW increase to 188kW. 

Last but not least, all 9-3s now benefit from suspension upgrades that see retuned dampers for more balanced handling and reduced noise transmission,

(parts) (back to top)

 

Blind Spot Information System (BSIS)

“ I was reading the other day about being able to see in your blind spots if you pay the little extra for the optional Blind Spot Information System (BSIS) on one of those desirable new XC90’s.  Rear facing cameras mounted in the rear view mirrors give this ability to see when a car, bike or even a pedestrian is in that hard to see area so common in cars today.  Modern styling is being overcome with technology! Lexus started it with a camera for reversing and now perhaps it’s only a matter of time before we can do away with the windscreen and drive by camera!”

 

Changing Times

Did you know that in 1970 there were 35 major vehicle manufactures in the world and today there are only 13? Ford owns Volvo, GM owns SAAB and nearly every car you see on the road has some parts from a ‘competitor’ under its skin! This is why we need to have specialist parts and service people to enable us to keep up with these changes. VolvSaab has been a leader in their field for over 12 years and has enormous experience for you to draw on. Trust the people with the knowledge.

 

Saab's bio-ethanol concept

A 'flex-fuel' 2.0-liter turbo engine that runs on ethanol, an eco-friendly renewable energy source, is being developed for the Saab 9-5 range.  The use of ethanol can attract favourable environmental and business tax concessions because it is produced commercially from grain crops and qualifies as a renewable resource.  The Saab 9-5 FFV (flexible fuel vehicle) is now about to enter this market niche with an engine that is programmed to burn ethanol (E85) or gasoline in any mixture. 

 

Mr Bean's opinion

Recently read in a very classy English classic car magazine(“OCTANE” May 04 issue 11) an article written by British actor/comedian Rowan Atkinson.

  “I read an interview with a media personality recently whodeclared that he had brought a Saab because he thought it was a car without an image…… I suspect that, to a marketing person, a Saab owner has a very clear identity. From my perspective, he is probably male, highly educated, affluent, possibly creative or artistic bent.” 

Rowan is a very wise Mr Bean.

(parts) (back to top)

Built to Last

The Swedish reputation for pragmatism and zero ego is well-deserved if Ikea founder Ingvar Kamprad is any indication.  He's the fourth richest man in the world, according to Forbes magazine, with a $US28 billion ($A40 billion) fortune -- and yet he drives a second-hand Volvo.  "She is nearly new", he told a TV reporter recently.  "Just 15 years old, or something like that."

 (parts) (back to top)

Radiator & Engine Hose Maintenance.

In today’s modern cars with extremes of engine temperatures (especially Turbo models) it is vital that you have quality radiator and engine hoses. Because hoses are so important to the maintaining of the engines optimum operating temperature and helping prevent costly damage from engine overheating, it is vital that regular inspection & maintenance is conducted on all your cars hoses.

It is recommended that inspection is carried out every 6 months and the coolant hoses replaced every time the system is flushed and the coolant replaced. This is recommended every 2-3 years depending on the cars use.

The life of your cars hoses can be affected by a number of issues. HEAT, ABRASIONS, OILS/  CHEMICALS & OZONE ATTACK.

  • Heat can affect your hoses with hidden damage to the hose reinforcement and is one of the most important reasons for their regular replacement.

  • Abrasions are caused by over tightened hose clamps, road debris, belts and pulleys rubbing etc, and careful fitment and inspection can reduce this risk immensely.

  • Oils and Chemicals are the biggest danger to your hoses. Sometimes damage can start from the inside! It can be caused by transmission cooler leakage, failed engine block or gaskets, or even some radiator inhibitors carried oil to lubricate the water pump. The hoses will become swollen or feel soft and spongy and must be replaced immediately. Don’t forget to find the cause!

  • Ozone attack on a hose might sound far fetched but is actually caused by alternators & other electrical components in the engine bay. It manifests itself in small parallel cracks near bends and other stress points.

All of these causes can be reduced by the use of quality hoses supplied by VolvSaab.

(parts) (back to top)

Flame Trap?


You have probably heard of a PCV valve, or a positive crankcase ventilation valve, but do you know what a flame trap is? Well basically they are the same thing. All Volvo’s have a flame trap fitted to prevent engine backfires igniting in the crankcase. This little plastic or brass devise is the most neglected and possibly the most damaging item forgotten by the home mechanic, yet it costs less than $5 and takes seconds to fit!

Contaminants & oil residue clogs this little filter and eventually creates excessive crankcase pressure. This in turn causes oil seals to leak and can even push the dipstick out of its tube!

On early 240’s this flame trap is located inside a plastic “T” just to the left of the front of the cam cover above the thermostat. In later models it became buried under the intake manifold but don’t let that be an excuse. Replace it!

All hoses connected to the flame trap can become bloated or soft from oil damage and should be replaced at the same time. These parts are available as a kit or individually but are very cheap! (parts)

“We are continually receiving new & exciting technical data from customers & suppliers as well as coming across articles and press releases that we think are of interest to you and your car. These we will try and bring to you through these pages. If you have any interesting pieces of information you would like to share please Contact us.”

Have you been to your local Holden Dealer lately?

With the restructuring of the GM brands world wide and Saab's now appearing in the local Holden Dealers showroom there has been a bit of confusion amongst Saab owners. All Saab spare parts are now handled by GM in Australia and consequently most spares parts salesmen are struggling for knowledge and information. Like so many of these Dealers it couldn't be a better time to call VolvSaab."
 

(back to top)