I'm looking for some place to get some kind of exploded view breakdown for my 740 turbo wagon. I seem to remember a dealer having one on his computer once, it showed every part and had an associated label and part number for them.

The system that you saw at your Volvo dealer is called VADIS (Volvo Aftersales Diagnostic and Information System). You can buy a 1-year subscription from Volvo for $6,300 at the VolvoTechInfo VADIS website. Using the VCT 2000 adapter, you can have the Vadis software talk directly to any Volvo built from 1994 and up through the OBDII diagnostic port. Vadis support for earlier vehicles, (like 200/700 vehicles) is limited to exploded parts diagrams, and some step-by-step part replacement procedures.

The Vadis software is actually developed by Hewlett Packard under contract from Volvo. It requires Windows NT 4.0 (with Service Pack 4 or higher) to operate, -or anything later along the NT evolution line (32-bit OS core) including Windows 2000 and XP. It will not operate on Windows 95, 98, or Millenium Edition. There are a lot of people on eBay selling Vadis, or older copies of Vadis, but if they don't provide you with an Administrator Password for the copy that they're selling, the CD-Rom/DVD is about as useful as a beverage coaster. Vadis is also time sensitive, and each CD/DVD is encoded with an expiration date. The system clock on your computer must be operating within the start date and termination date that's encoded into the software. As you maintain or renew your subscription of Vadis through Volvo, they send you supplimental discs that contain new/updated vehicle information and later expiration dates.

To run Vadis, you'll need a computer and there are 3 suggested applications.
1: Desktop PC, as would be found in a dealer parts department.
2: VADIS-CART portable workstation (big black tall box on wheels).
3: Panasonic Toughbook CF-27, 28, 29 Laptop Computer.
You can run it on other PC type laptops, but you won't be able to use the touchscreen interface, etc.
As far as basic hardware is concerned, you'll need at least a Pentium processor, but the faster the better. Plan to have a few gigs of hard drive space free for the vehicle part diagrams and replacement instructions. You can leave the parts info on the DVD or CD-Roms and read it as needed, but access time is slower than using the Hard Drive. DVD versions will automatically load the info to the appropriate directories on the hard drive, and the CD-Rom versions require you to copy the data over manually to a specific directory. VADIS is also designed to work seamlessly on the Panasonic Toughbook CF-27, CF-28, and CF-29 (current model). This allows usage of the touchscreen and other features incorporated into the Toughbook, and all the associated drivers are contained with VADIS. Before the availability of the Toughbook, the VADIS-CART was produced and this is a large 5' tall black cabinet on wheels (2'x2' base) that contained a computer, monitor, keyboard, mouse, and cabling to talk to the vehicles (circa mid-90s).

With all that said, Vadis is an expensive software package for a Volvo owner. -unless you are running a full service shop with several bays and a lot of new '94+ Volvos coming through your door every day. Cheaper 3rd party solutions exist, like AllData and Mitchel, but you get what you pay for and they probably won't contain the extensive part details like the Vadis system. Recently available is a new variant of Vadis, intended for short term subscription use on 1994+ vehicles through the web. iVADIS allows you to access the VADIS information on a more individualized level (specific vehicle). For example, you can get a single vehicle subscription, like the 2003-2005 XC90, for 3-days for $10.

Note: VIDA (Vehicle Information and Diagnostics for Aftersales) will replace iVADIS, VADIS, and WSDA in early 2005. VIDA will be available in two configurations: VIDA ALL-In-One-Client, and VIDA on the Web.

For typical owners who enjoy working on their vehicles at home, and have need of a specific exploded diagram from VADIS, inquire of your service/parts counter guys and ask if they'll print off a copy of the pages you need. They're usually more than happy to do so, and it will save time later when you order parts since you'll have some of the part numbers already on hand.

God bless,
Fitz Fitzgerald.
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'87 Blue 240 Wagon, 249k miles.
'88 Black 780, PRV-6, 145k miles.