Failed on handbrake- how to adjust cable itself (not lever)

[Roy V70 850]

Had the 2004 V70 for two and half years now. The first time I drove it home, I tried to park it on my steep driveway, my wife had to get out and put bricks under the tyres whilst I held the brake on.

That week I purchased some new discs/drums and shoes from the local spares shop and fitted them to the car. It was just about holding by pulling the handbrake on hard. This was made slightly better by installing brake adjusters, (I've read all the discussions on this).

It's now gone through two MOT's without any problems which has surprised me, but there is no way my wife could park the car on the driveway, because she wouldn't be able to pull the handbrake enough to hold the car.

It's coming up to MOT time again and it's getting worse. So having read the discussions on this forum, it seemed to me that the friction coefficient on the current shoes just wasn't good enough. I contacted a main dealer and bought some genuine Volvo shoes. I installed a shoe on one side only and tested it on the driveway. The difference was staggering, it held instantly, and that's just on one wheel and there was no need to bed the shoes in.

From now on I will always buy genuine Volvo shoes.

I've included a photo of the shoes I took off, they are glazed and cracked.

[Joe Harding]

Originally Posted by cheshired5

Sounds like mine was 5 years ago @14 years old and yours is a similar age.
I changed everything in one go so both cables, the central cable which join them to the handbrake lever, rear discs, pads, handbrake shoes and springs.

As it worked out of the factory and I was restoring factory operation, no additional adjusters were fitted or needed and the handbrake still works perfectly after 5 years with a 5 minute tightening of the lever adjuster nut every couple of years.

You haven't had the shoes delaminate in that time?