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MORE VOLVO BRAKES

I N T H I S DAY O F E V E R A D VA N C I N G A U TO M OT I V E
T E C H N O L O GY, M O S T T E C H N I C I A N S L O O K
F O R W A R D TO G E T T I N G A R E PA I R O R D E R
T H AT S AYS S O M E T H I N G L I K E “ C H E C K
BRAKES” INSTEAD OF SOMETHING LIKE
“CHECK INTERMITTENT (FILL IN THE BLANK)
O N T U E S DAYS G O I N G D O W N T H E F R E E WAY
BAC K WA R D S AT 8 6 . 2 M I L E S P E R H O U R . ”

V O LV O T E C H T I P S 1 2
Of course that’s an extreme example, but a good old D O I N E E D T H E F A C T O R Y V O LV O
brake job can be a relief for some technicians, especially S O F T WA R E ( V I DA ) TO WO R K O N
those that do a lot of diagnostics. V O LV O B R A K E S Y S T E M S ?
The answer is YES in a lot of cases, especially on newer
We all know that Volvo’s mantra has always been safety. Volvo models 2010 and up.
That’s why Volvo has always been on the cutting edge of
brake system technology. Let’s face it, these days your shop needs to have access
to the OEM scan tools. The generic all in one scanner just
In August of 1966 Volvo introduced a new car model to the won’t cut it in a lot of cases, especially when dealing with
world. It was called the Volvo 144. In terms of safety, this car newer cars with integrated driver assist capabilities.
was extremely advanced. It had disc brakes all round, a safety
steering column and a new lock on the three-point safety Systems like Advanced Driver Assistance Systems
belts. The body had energy-absorbing crumple zones at the (ADAS) or, in the case of Volvo, City Safe, are becoming
front and rear. Even the door locks had a safety design. standard equipment on most cars these days and when
it comes to testing and calibrating these systems you will
With Volvo’s introduction of the 144 they also introduced
need the factory tool to do it right.
a new brake system — the triangle-split dual-circuit brake
system. The car had two brake circuits and, if one of them Yes there are some aftermarket scan tools that can get
failed, 80 percent of braking effect was still available. codes and some live data, even some that have bi-
directional command abilities.
The Volvo 144 was a huge success in Sweden and also
abroad. In the USA, the Volvo 144 complied with the new But Volvo’s VIDA is the only system that has it all in one
safety regulations before they had even been made public. place and the only system that can download software to
Volvos’ network modules.
In the automotive world, everything changes. So whether
you have been working on Volvos for 30 years or 3 A lot of shops think that they can’t afford VIDA, but they
months, you need to pay attention and keep up with the are wrong. Your shop can have VIDA for the cost of a
changes The fact that you are reading this is a good sign. laptop and Volvo’s DICE tool.
With systems like Advanced Driver Assistance Systems Once you have that your shop can purchase use of the VIDA
(ADAS) and semi-autonomous braking systems software for as little as $64 for a three day subscription
becoming standard equipment on a lot of newer cars and (price subject to change without notice).
trucks on the road, you will need to learn how these new
systems work and, when they don’t work, how to go about Compared to the price of some generic scan tools, VIDA
repairing them. is a real bargain.

Having the right tools and training is critical to the diagnosis, Here are a few examples of brake work where you would
repair and service of these modern braking systems. have to use VIDA software.

A lot of this training you can source for free. Online videos On Volvos equipped with electronic parking brakes you
and trade publications (like this one!) are out there for you will need VIDA to put the rear calipers into “SERVICE
to access whenever you want. MODE.” This retracts the screw type caliper pistons so
you can replace the rear pads.
V O LV O B R A K E T E C H N I C A L
JOURNALS (TJs) Conditions:
When you talk about repair information, among the most • The vehicle must be stationary.
valuable resources are the Technical Journals (TJs) issued • Ignition switch position II.
by the auto manufacturers. • The engine must be switched off.
Parameter Value
Volvo periodically issues new Technical Journals to fix PBM - Neutral Yes
problems that come up on Volvos that are already on the
PBM - Maintenance Mode No
road. There are several dealing with brake issues on all
different years and models. PBM - Left brake pad applied No
PBM - Right brake pad applied No
The most up to date Technical Journals can be found on
PBM - Left brake pad released Yes
Volvotechinfo.com and if you have an active subscription
to VIDA you can find them there. PBM - Right brake pad released Yes

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M O R E V O LV O B R A K E S

Parameter Value Most technicians that have been doing this for a while
have seen the effects of poor quality brake parts.
PBM - Left brake pad extended release, No
service mode There are high quality replacement brake parts available
PBM - Right brake pad extended release, No to you these days and some are made right alongside the
service mode factory replacement parts, so what’s the difference?
If you install a Brake Control Module (BCM) in a 1999 or Well there are a few.
newer Volvo you will need to load a software package in
order for the car’s network to recognize the new part. FIT
Even though a replacement brake pad may be a copy
There are software updates for all modules on Volvos, of the OE Volvo pad, it’s just that, a copy. Due to patent
including the BCM, and only VIDA can load these laws the part won’t necessarily be the exact same size or
important software updates. design and may not perform as well as the OE part.
Software updates include this one which is covered in WARRANTY
Technical Journal TJ21247: Volvo offers a 2-year warranty on its brake pads and rotors
(U.S. only).
Retailer Technical Journal 21247
Electrically operatetd Parking Brake (EPB) Most aftermarket brake manufacturers only give you a one
year limited warranty, or none at all.
Drive away function delayed
Date 06-24-2009
Reference: VIDA, VSTG

Model Type Model year Chasis range

S80 124 2007 - 2010 000850 - 113001
V70 135 2008 - 2010 000395 - 118001
XC70 136 2008 - 2010 000400 - 074001
XC60 156 2010 - 2010 000212 - 050001
The drive away function which releases the EPB
upon take off may be delayed if the customer enters
the car and drives away within 1 - 1.5 seconds.

The Parking Brake Module (PBM) needs to

receive data from other control modules before
it will release the EPB.
Service software has been developed to prevent
this delay.
SERVICE:
Download PBM Upgrade software using VIDA.

BRAKE SYSTEM
R E P L A C E M E N T PA R T S
THEY ARE ALL THE SAME, RIGHT?
Have you ever had a customer think or say that? Not very
often. That’s because, unless your customer is 16 and just
got their license and is that rare species of teenager that
has to pay for the repairs themselves, they have probably
had a brake job done on their car before.
Volvo routinely issues Technical Journals to deal with
If your customer has had a cheap brake job done before, problems that arise in the field. In this case TJ 51-09
they probably know that there is a vast difference in the helps fix squealing noises on V70/S60R cars by installing
quality of replacement parts out there. noise dampers on the backs of the calipers.
V O LV O T E C H T I P S 1 4
PRICE Here is a real world example of why OE Volvo brake pads
Have you compared the prices of OE Volvo brake parts to are the best fit for your customers’ cars.
some aftermarket parts? You may be surprised. Yes you
might save a couple of bucks in some cases, but if you CASE STUDY 2005 V70 R
have a comeback there goes any profit and your reputation.
This car came into the shop with a customer complaint
VALUE of squealing from the front brakes at low speeds. The
Most customers will appreciate that your shop installs customer stated that they had just been to another local
Volvo OE parts on their car, even if it costs a bit more. Volvo shop and had the front brake pads and rotors
replaced only about 2,000 miles ago.

When the service writer interviewed the customer about

why they had not taken the car back to the original shop
for a possible warranty repair on the brakes, they stated
that they did and the other shop told them that they
needed to drive the car more to “break in“ the new parts.

This customer was not satisfied with this and decided to

bring the car in for a second opinion.

The technician was able to readily reproduce the

customer’s noise complaint on a short test drive.

The car was put up on a lift and the wheels were removed
to inspect the brakes. The shop that had performed the
brake job had a good reputation and was known for good
work and using quality parts.

The tech noted that everything looked correctly installed

and there was no missing or damaged hardware. The
tech removed the brake pads from one of the calipers
and noticed that the pads that were installed were a high
quality aftermarket brand and looked to have no visible
defects. The new brake discs were also very high quality
aftermarket parts.

So why were these brakes making noise?

Since the service writer at this shop knew the service writer
at the shop that first performed the brake job, he was able
to call them and inquire about the work done on the car.

The other shop told the service writer that they had already
replaced this customer’s brake parts under warranty and
did not understand how they could still be squealing.

Volvo’s fix for the squeal is to install vibration dampers

on the inside of the caliper, bolted on with the caliper
mounting bolts. These dampers would counteract the
vibration caused by the light weight caliper design that
came on the S60/V70 R cars from 2004-2005.

The service writer decided to call their local Volvo

These brake pads are both quality parts and are made to fit dealership’s parts department and order an OE brake pad
the same car, but the OE Volvo pad set has been updated to set for this car. When the parts arrived, the technician and
address issues that appeared in the field. With these cars the service writer compared the OE Volvo pads to the high
aftermarket pads can stop the car, but may cause other issues. quality aftermarket pad set.
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M O R E V O LV O B R A K E S

Right off the bat you could see the differences. These brake calipers
replace the normal brake
The aftermarket pads wear surfaces were all the same calipers. The brake caliper
shape and size with bevels on both ends being cut at has a connection for the
the same angle. However the factory Volvo set had hydraulics and functions
friction material that was cut at different angles at each as a normal brake caliper
end and had arrows that indicated installation direction. when the parking brake is Released Parking Brake
This updated pad design was developed to help fix the not used.
R’s tendency to squeal at low speed braking, while the
aftermarket pad set was just designed to stop the vehicle. When the parking brake is
activated, the electric motor
In many cases Volvo engineers have re-designed parts provides torque which is
to fix problems that have arisen on cars that have been transferred to pressure via
on the road for a few years. They base the need for a re- a spindle. The spindle is
design on feedback from technicians in the field. located in the brake piston
and presses on it so that
the brake pads are applied. Spin Wear
V O LV O E L E C T R O N I C P A R K I N G
BRAKE SYSTEMS (EPB) When the current to the
electric motor is broken (the vehicle is parked), the self-
Volvo started using an electronic parking brake system in
locking thread on the shaft retains the brake pressure.
some of its cars in 2007. This system is very reliable, but
it pays to understand how these systems work in order to When the parking brake is released the spindle is wound
avoid misdiagnosis of EPB issues. back and the piston releases the pressure. The shaft
remains in position.
This is how they work:
The spindle follows the wear on the brake pads
The parking brake switch has three positions, of which two
are counter sprung and the third is in the neutral position. The spindle on the shaft is screwed out continuously with
the piston in order to follow the wear in the brake pads. The
The parking switch consists
of a number of smaller
spindle applies the pressure in the same way each time. •
switches. The switch has
six terminal pins. When
the switch is activated the
smaller switches open and
close inside the switch. This
creates a pattern for the six Active Parking Brake
terminal pins. The Parking
Brake Module (PBM)
recognizes certain approved patterns for activating and
deactivating the parking brake. If a faulty pattern occurs,
the Parking Brake Module (PBM) indicates this by a
diagnostic trouble code being set.

Background lighting/instrument lighting for the parking

brake switches is supplied with voltage via the Central
Electronic Module (CEM).

The brake caliper which is used together with the Parking

Brake Module is a special design. The brake caliper
consists of the normal components of a brake caliper,
along with an electric motor, a gearbox and a shaft/
spindle which presses on the brake pads. The electric
motor is connected directly to the Parking Brake Module.

For vehicles equipped with Parking Brake Module there

are brake calipers of this type located on the rear wheels.
V O LV O T E C H T I P S 1 6