I have a 2015 XC60. To date I have mostly had it serviced at the dealer, but it is now long out of warranty, and the dealer is over 30 minutes away and is very pricey. I'd like to rely more on a trusted mechanic I've been using for over 20 years. I did have him do one oil change and replace the rear brakes. I'm just wondering in general are there things I should just leave for the dealer. For example, I'll probably need a battery replacement soon. I've read that might require some sort of special control module initialization, possibly only doable by the VIDA software. Then there are things like software updates you get at the dealer. My mechanic does not specialize in Volvos, but seems to service all makes of cars. I doubt he has any of the Volvo specific equipment that might be needed for certain repairs and maintenance (or what those might be for that matter). Any opinions?

 

I think you hit on one of the two reasons when a dealer is your best bet:

1) is there any special diagnostics or software programming required for your service
2) are there any special Volvo tools required

I have a trusted local indy who is up front as to their skills and will say when its best to go to dealer. To your issues, the battery can be replaced without any programming by using a temporary voltage source, and for the rear brakes, cars with an electronic parking brake may need a reset tool (such as VIDA but depending on year/model 3rd party tools may be able to do the reset). Ask your local what tech assist services they subscribe to (ie Alldata) to see how they'd read up on diagnostic procedures, tools, programming etc.

For more generic mechanical stuff, a tech with experience with euro cars should be competent. The last thing dealer consideration is parts. While most people complain about the steep prices of dealer parts, keep in mind the genuine Volvo parts are guaranteed to fit, meet all factory specs, and usually are covered by a dealer warranty should the part fail prematurely.

 

If this reset was not done, would it be readily obvious when I tried to use the parking brake? I have over 16k miles on the brakes since they were replaced. Haven't noticed any issues, but can't say for sure that the parking brake has even been used in that time.

I guess this would be the answer to the question "how does the mechanic know when some special procedure might be needed for what otherwise just seems to be mundane maintenance work." I'm not familiar with tech assist services, but I assume the are computer based knowledge systems that let you query things like "2015 Volvo XC60 rear brake replacement", and it tells you everything that is necessary to get the job done properly. Knowing a service like that exists and that the mechanic uses it would put me at east.

Yeah, and that's another reason I might just bite the bullet and go to the dealer for the battery. It is Volvo branded battery, although autozone does sell a battery for $100 cheaper that they claim is compatible, and I heard Interstate does also. Just not sure I trust them.

 

I have to change my battery for my 2006 S60 as well. (Multimeter says it's at 11.9 with the engine off. 14.3ish with the engine running idle) I have one of those 12V NOCO battery boosters (GB30). Can i just attach it to the battery cables right before i take out the battery, and leave it attached to the cables while changing the batteries to keep the current on so the electrical/codes don't get messed up? Hmm..

 

I'm not really sure. Does it provide 12v even when not attached to a battery? You might want to check that first with a multimeter. If it does, then you might be allright, but I'm not making any promises.

 

I agree with mt6127. Excellent advice.

 

I finally had a chance to chat with my mechanic about this. He said there isn't any issue the shop shouldn't be able to handle. They don't have VIDA, but he said he as other diagnostic software and hardware that works with all cars. I asked how software upgrades are done without VIDA. He said he subscribes to a service that allows him to do any needed software updates. Something about connecting to the remote service, which is on the east coast, which communicates directly with volvo or the dealership to get the software. He also said they have tech assist software that basically provides service manuals for all makes and models of cars. He mentioned the name of it, but I don't recall it.