October Car Care Month - Front Wheel Drive
Page 2: October Car Care Month

How often do you think of safety? Being a Volvo owner, your primary concern is likely safety, especially while driving at night. That time of year is creeping up on us where we find ourselves driving to and from work in the dark! More fatal accidents occur while driving at night as darkness dramatically alters our ability to react and see hazards. Throw some inclement weather in the mix that can further limit your vision as well as making the road surface slippery and you can see why proper lighting is so important and why lighting upgrades are so popular. Being a defensive driver isn’t the only way to prepare driving in the dark. That’s why we’ve put together some suggestions you might want to consider.

Many car manufactures have been experimenting with night vision using Thermal Imaging and Infrared systems, normally used for military purposes. This technology senses heat instead of light. Infrared allows drivers to see five times further than normal headlights. You might have heard of HUD systems being offered in some vehicles (Heads Up Display). This displays the instrumentation of the vehicle on the windshield in a “polarization manner” to help keep your eyes on the road in front of you without having to look down at the instruments. Until Infrared night vision systems available in the aftermarket at an affordable price, the best defense is to properly maintain or upgrade your cars lighting.

We also offer premium PIAA headlight bulbs, the recognized leader in aftermarket bulb technology and performance. Upgrading your bulbs bring you closer to the HID (High Intensity Discharge) look you see on newer vehicles. These head lamps can be easily installed by anyone who has basic skills. (See PIAA bulbs below)

This time of year it’s always best to inspect your vehicles head lamps, turn signals and taillights at least once a week to ensure that your lighting is operating correctly. An independent repair facility can inspect your vehicles complete lighting system to ensure everything is functioning properly. If you find yourself with a cracked head lamp, turn signal or taillight, we offer original equipment and economy version replacements for most models. We also carry replacement glass lenses for most 1994-2000 Volvos. This allows you to replace the glass only without having to buy the whole head lamp assembly.

We’ve talked about upgrading bulbs, cleaning your head lamps, ensuring everything is working properly in your lighting system. There are a few more helpful tips to think about. Your vehicles windshield also becomes blasted over time. A “pitted” windshield can drastically increase the glare form oncoming traffic and make driving at night very unsafe. Debris that gets stuck in your wiper blades can also leave deep scratches across your whole windshield, so it’s best to inspect and clean your wiper blades on a regular basis. If you are unsure about your windshield, have it inspected by a local glass shop for cracks and imperfections. Being able to see properly is the goal! We offer PIAA super silicone wiper blades that perform great even in severe weather conditions like we get here in the NW. Most of our staff uses PIAA bulbs and blades as we get so much rain that good wiper blades and lighting is a must.

Another thing you can look into is auxiliary lighting. Auxiliary lighting such as European side marker kits and front fog/driving lights can all be installed to suit your driving conditions. If you find yourself driving in foggy conditions, you might want to look into a good set of fog lights. The wide angle and sharp cutoff of fog lamps will help illuminate the road surface and shoulders while reducing reflective glare. Some modification may be required on some fog/driving lamp kits depending on vehicle and bumper configuration.

European side marker kits can be purchased through ipd. They are a great safety upgrade and make your car more visible. Euro side markers are located on the front fenders, allowing other drivers to see your intentions, especially when making lane changes. These lights are easily wired to work in conjunction with your turn signals using the included installation guide and wiring harness available from ipd.

Along with original Volvo headlights we are now offering budget priced "ECONOMY" versions of some of the original Volvo lights we sell. Look for the ¡§E¡¨ suffix indicating the economy version. These lights are great alternatives to the original Volvo headlamps as fit and function is good and they are DOT approved. However, please note that economy versions may not be up to original Volvo quality standards. These economy parts can save you over $100 each compared to the original Volvo parts in some cases. Great for getting your car through safety inspections, preparing it for sale or just to help keep your maintenance costs down.

See the lighting section for your model at ipdusa.com

Cracked and broken headlight lenses can be costly to replace. Help prevent impact damage from flying debris with Xpel headlight protection. They install over existing headlight lenses and are precision cut to fit each application. Kits even come with protectors for fog lamps! The material used is 40 mil-thick 3M transparent adhesive impact vinyl. Once installed, the material is invisible to the naked eye and provides superior impact protection.

WARNING: when running high output bulbs, there could be a risk of heat stress cracking the lens if the lens temperature exceeds 200¡F. We have tested the covers with the high output bulbs we sell with good results.

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Adding visibility to your Volvo is easy with original European Volvo turn signal indicators. The mounting hole is already stamped into the fender so there is no drilling required. All you have to do is remove the Volvo emblem and adhesive on the fender and you’ll find the odd shaped hole that was originally intended to accept these nifty European turn signal indicators. Very simple two-wire hookup using the wiring kit below. Come with amber bulbs. Detailed instructions are included.

European Side marker kits look great, upgrading the appearance of your Volvo and a Volvo safety study reports that side markers can also improve the likelyhood that other drivers will see your intention to turn by up to 60%!

Assembled with original Volvo water-tight components to ensure factory fit and finish.

Stealth Bulbs are the best concealment bulbs on the market; invisible in clear lenses when off and bright amber when on. They eliminate the “egg-yolk” effect from the front, side or rear turn signal lenses of your vehicle. Stealth Bulbs create a clean integrated look that will set your Volvo apart from the crowd! The exclusive chrome finish provides the ultimate in stealth appearance compare to the competitions painted silver bulbs.

Every Stealth bulb is Made In The USA and backed with an unparalleled lifetime guarantee. High quality long life bulbs and proprietary metallic coatings applied by a world renowned NASA contractor provide years of world class performance.

These bulbs project a nice sharp beam in a cool white / blue hue that reduces eye-strain and improves contrast. Because these bulbs have SAE and DOT certification and a 1 year replacement warranty against defects, we feel good about offering them over other bulbs of lesser quality. Although these bulbs will not change the pattern of the lights, the headlight output is superior and will be a noticeable improvement. The outward appearance is a very bright white, similar to H.I D.’s like you may have seen on a late model Audi, Mercedes, Lexus or Volvo.

NOTE: H7 bulbs are used in both the high beam and low beam location on 1998-2000 70 series, S80 and 40 series. The 2001-02 V70 and S60 use the H7 in the low beam and HB3 / 9005 in the high beam position. 

NOTE: Halogens may overheat from contaminants on the bulb. Do not touch the glass when installing. If you do, clean with rubbing alcohol.