[Namnig]

You may want to consider leaving you car in gear when parked. This week I came out of the house to find my V40 D2 SE had rolled down the slope outside my garage and planted itself into my garage door! The result is body damage to the rear of the car and to the garage door. When I got inside the car the handbrake was still applied with the handbrake lever up as I had applied it. I parked the car the previous evening at 6:45pm and believe the car rolled into the garage at 10:30pm (3 3/4 hours later) when my daughter heard a bang 'like a car door being slammed' on the driveway. The car is booked into a Volvo garage next week so I will post what the response is. I thinked the brake discs released as the brakes cooled down - a common problem when disc rear brakes were first introduced. Not being hopeful I have also kicked off the insurance claim. :huh:

 

[Yellowbelly]

Not being hopeful I have also kicked off the insurance claim. :huh:

Assuming that you have comprehensive insurance I see no reason why your claim shouldn't be successful. After all, you're claiming for repair of the damage. The damage was accidental so the exact nature of the cause shouldn't prejudice your claim.

I assume that you'll claim for the repair of your garage door off your house insurance.

 

[Namnig]

Not being hopeful I have also kicked off the insurance claim. :huh:

Assuming that you have comprehensive insurance I see no reason why your claim shouldn't be successful. After all, you're claiming for repair of the damage. The damage was accidental so the exact nature of the cause shouldn't prejudice your claim.

I assume that you'll claim for the repair of your garage door off your house insurance.

Rather than claiming on the insurance I was hoping Volvo would find a fault and cover the costs, here's hoping.

 

[kiter]

mmh same happened to me with my V50 - came out of friends house one night to find no car and immediately thought it had been nicked! till I looked down the hill and saw it resting against a tree in a garden about 100yds further down on the opposite side of the street. Luckily no damage to car or the tree. Garage checked it out and said everything fine - ever since left it in gear, better do the same with the new V40!

 

[London_2012]

I've always left my car in gear when the car is parked on a slope. Force of habit after my wife's Toyota Celica rolled out of a friends drive backwards across a road between two parked cars (missing both of them), it ended up embedded in the postbox of the house opposite after having taken out several garden ornaments and large garden pot plant. Bizarrely the same thing had happened to two of our friends in the next street the week before, it appears that both cars had simultaneously slipped their handbrakes and rolled down the hill - oddly they didn't come into contact with each other at the time. Surreal!

I dug out this picture of it after the repair in 2007... the damage nearly wrote the car off!

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[Yellowbelly]

Bizarrely the same thing had happened to two of our friends in the next street the week before, it appears that both cars had simultaneously slipped their handbrakes ...........

I wonder whether some drivers wear out the handbrake lever ratchet prematurely by applying the handbrake without pressing in the release button. I press in the button when applying the handbrake for two reasons ~ firstly it saves unnecessary wear on the ratchet and secondly it eliminates the annoying clicking.

 

[cemi]

Make sure that you pull the handbrake all the way up as far as possible until it can't go any further. Some people do not apply the handbrakes properly. You might be used to applying the handbrake until a certain position but after some wear, for the same break force you might need to pull the handle further up.

 

[Yellowbelly]

Make sure that you pull the handbrake all the way up as far as possible until it can't go any further.

I wouldn't recommend that technique to a "World's Strongest Man" contestant! http://www.giants-live.com/

 

[William martin]

My automobile has been recalled for a handbrake fault, that its reserved certain repairs for this week?
my automobile handbrake has simply failing, and i have rolled into somebody on a hill, that has broken my automobile. Would the warrenty cowl the repair?

Thanks:
William Martin

 

[Namnig]

My automobile has been recalled for a handbrake fault, that its reserved certain repairs for this week?
my automobile handbrake has simply failing, and i have rolled into somebody on a hill, that has broken my automobile. Would the warrenty cowl the repair?

Thanks:
William Martin

Am I right in thinking this happened in your V40? What model do you have? My Volvo dealer has adjusted my handbrake as travel was border line excessive (7 clicks) after less than 2000 Miles use. They claim that even so it was still to MOT standards when tested on their brake tester. Mmm.

 

[Wken1]

Namnig what was the solution? This has just happened to my 3 month old v40 D2. Neighbour knocked on as alarm was going off and it was in the middle of the road!!!! Will be addressing this with Volvo and have made sure it is in gear. If this has happened to anyone else please let me know!

 

[Kev]

Never one issue like this in the last year and 19k clocked up. Mind you, I would always leave in gear when parked on a hill and ensure steering would turn car into the curb.

 

[lmafudd]

I was taught to leave the car in gear and always start with the clutch in. You will note that most cars now have to have a depressed clutch to start so I'm guessing that the old ways are the best!

 

[NeilC]

This problem isn't specifically a Volvo problem.

All manuals now tell you to leave it in gear when parked. There were well publicised problems with Renaults a few years ago (even made it onto Watchdog).

At the time the cause was given as warm brakes being applied, then cooling and shrinking allowing the vehicle to move. Makes sense I suppose. This didn't use to happen with drum brake cars. My V70 has a seperate drum as part of the rear brake disc, specifically for the handbrake. This isn't problem free, as the V70 handbrake shoes have a habit of delaminating and seizing the rear hub, causing a lot of (expensive) damage.

I am not sure which method the V40 uses.

 

[lmafudd]

This problem isn't specifically a Volvo problem.

My V70 has a seperate drum as part of the rear brake disc, specifically for the handbrake.

Had this exact issue with an S60. Don't all cars that are discs all around have the separate drum parts for the handbrake?

 

[Tiff]

Had this exact issue with an S60. Don't all cars that are discs all around have the separate drum parts for the handbrake?

SomeV40, have the handbrake mechanism integrated into the rear calipers,which should compensate for wear- the older big Volvo's with separate handbrake shoes did have an issue with a aluminium lug breaking off, which required replacement of the entire rear hu assembly- repaired a few that this had happened to and glad it wasn't my bill! They also had an issue with the adhesive failing, which held the friction material to the metal backing- usually caused by old age as handbrake shoes should never wear out.

No problem with leaving the car in gear- this could be risky with certain older Diesels as the engine could fire up if the car did move!

 

[NeilC]

I've noticed that in the manual it says to firmly push on the brake pedal whilst pulling up the handbrake.

Systems which use the main calipers on the rear discs are notorious for failing. Especially if the discs/pads are hot when you apply the brake, and then cool down.

Always leave it in gear!!!