Hello All - I've been enjoying my year old 1994 850 Turbo Wagon (originally 88K! - and not a scratch on it!) immensely and feel like an executive driving a Mercedes when i'm in it. Summers here and it's time to start the travel season so I have a few questions; maintenance and such.
1) I had my local PepBoys install brake dust shields and they worked fine for a couple of weeks until I ran the car thru the auto wash. It seems that when the attendant used his brush to clean the rims, he bent the shields causing them to rub on the caliper,..I had them taken off. My question is: is there a better way to shield brake dust? Are all shields very thin (making them maleable or are some of better quality?

2) I would like to raise the height of my 850 to bring it up to about Cross Coutry height. I often feel lost in the shuffle between SUV's and trucks here in the NE and think the extra height would help. Am I spinning my wheels here? Should I just buy a used Cross Country (or VOLVO SUV)?

3) I replaced the battery and of course the radio went dead. I didn't have the codes and used up the 3 tries. I now have the code but the radio/cdplayer won't let me put them in. I even took the radio completely out to no avail. Any advise on this issue.

4) Finally - I seem to be getting only 14.5 miles to the gallon here in NYC and my research tells me I should be getting 20. My mechanic says I don;t need a tune-up. Any thoughts on this one?

thanx for any help and I remain a loyal Volvo owner (until I can find a Mercedes station wagon w/ low miles for the same price)!