[doctorwej]

Hello Forum,
I have a 2005 Volvo XC90. It has 47,000 miles. I drive on Saturday , Sunday, and out-of-town trips. All maintenance is done at the dealer and I have an extended warranty. To date, I haven't had any problems.

Yesterday, I took the truck out to run some errands and I noticed slight vibrations when braking. The dealer installed brand new brake pads and rotors at 41,000 miles. As it appears, I still have alot of brake pad left due to how little I drive this truck during the week.

I am making a dealer appointment for this coming Wednesday but would like to get an idea of what's going on before possibly being taken.

Is it possible that the rotor is warped already? If this is the problem, can it be machined or do I have to replace? If this is not the problem, what can it be?

Any thoughts?

Thanks Forum!

 

[sulley007]

Do you notice this only when applying the brakes at all speeds? What about when you turn the wheels and brake?

 

[doctorwej]

Yes, I notice this when applying the brakes at all speeds. I haven't noticed when turning the wheels and braking. Usually, I am turning at a very low speed or turning after a complete stop. The vibration is very mild at low speeds but I will turning and braking tomorrow after work.

 

[sulley007]

Have you noticed this ever since the pads were changed or just recently? It does sound like a rotor possibly. But how low were the pads when you changed them out? If they weren't into the rotor yet you should be able to have just put the pads on. These ususally can't be machined.

 

[itapoa volvo]

a bad tyre or rim can give the same symptoms;but,most likely it is the rotor. The calipher can be hanging up,and overheating thus warping the rotor.....reg...

 

[doctorwej]

Hi Sulley007,

When I got the brake pads changed at 40,000 miles, the brakes were low and the driver's side rotor was damaged. At that point, I wasn't sure what was going on. My wife had it for the weekend and complained about a grinding noise. The passenger side was fine but the driver's side had 2 groove lines toward the inner circle of the rotor. Since we were going away the following weekend, she took it in for service. That is when they replaced the front pads and rotors. I didn't get a chance to see how low the pads were at the time. I spoke to the mechanic over the phone and he made it seem like they couldn't be machined.

In this case, this just started happening on Sunday. Everything was fine on Saturday. When these things happen, we park it immediately to avoid severe damage. That's why I was surprised that the rotors couldn't be machined at 40,000 miles.

 

[sulley007]

I don't think a new rotor would be warped so quickly and if the there were grooves it's my understanding that you can't turn them at that point and need to replace. The comment above about an out of balance tire causing this could also be a possibility. You can rule that out if you rotate the tires and experience the same issue. Let us know how the appointment goes today.

 

[itapoa volvo]

if this problem ocurred just 7,000 miles after new pads & rotors, the fault lies with the garage. My best guess is that the caliphers should have been o/hauled or replaced.I,m fairly certain this is a calipher that is not releasing completely...

 

[doctorwej]

Thanks Sulley007 and Itapoa Volvo for your help!

The issue was with the rear rotors. The rear brake pads were fine so they just replaced the rotors only. I don't know the details because my wife took it in.

How can you tell if a rotor is warped? I guess you can't tell from the naked eye so is there a machine in the shop that displays this information?

Is the process for changing the rear rotors much different from changing the front rotors? I am asking because I change the brake pads on my car (Toyota) and my wife's car (Honda). I haven't had a chance to tackle the Volvo because we are always on our way out of town when something strange happens.

 

[itapoa volvo]

Normally without a dial indicator ,you can only go by feel.if you don,t feel much vibration, you are usually o.k.To differentiate between a bad tire or wheel ;the bad tire & wheel will be more noticeable at low speeds.You can also jack up each wheel, remove the tire & watch the space between tire & rotor as you rotate it,Unless you race the car this should be sufficient. regards....

 

[sulley007]

Thanks for the update. All good points above. I've found in some cases the rear rotors more involved because you can in some cases have to drill out the factor studs. If you don't have do this then it is pretty straight forward as the front. To see if it is warped it is tough without the proper tools, but I have taken a straight edge up close to the rotor and turned to see if there is any visibile warpage.

 

[itapoa volvo]

good points also Sully. Question; am having difficulty trying to buy parts on E-bay uk. The seller chris 1roll won,t ship out of uk. Is it possible to have someone in uk buy the item and arrange shipping.Can pay by whatever is necessary...... ray

 

[sulley007]

That could be done, but you would have to find someone in uk to buy. Many people are not willing to ship out of the country because of risk of fraud plus the extra paperwork required. Not sure if there is a 'pack and ship' or a 'Fedex' location where the seller would drop off.

You may try to see if there is a Volvo Club or organization there, connect with someone and see if they would be willing to help you with this.

 

[sulley007]

That could be done, but you would have to find someone in uk to buy. Many people are not willing to ship out of the country because of risk of fraud plus the extra paperwork required. Not sure if there is a 'pack and ship' or a 'Fedex' location where the seller would drop off.

You may try to see if there is a Volvo Club or organization there, connect with someone and see if they would be willing to help you with this.

 

[jakelarson]

In this case, this just started happening on Sunday. Everything was fine on Saturday. When these things happen, we park it immediately to avoid severe damage. That's why I was surprised that the rotors couldn't be machined at 40,000 miles.