14,000 miles..brakes again!!$#$

[oldbones]

i am having a difficult time understanding why i needed to purchase front brakes at 7,500 miles on myxc90 2004...and then again at 14,000 miles...front and rear brakes!!! is anyone else experiencing this? is my car defective? or are the brakes just garbage? :mad:

pls i need some advice here.

[Tyrant11429]

Sorry to hear about that, maybe it just the brakes. How do you brake ????

[oldbones]

i brake like any other driver...nothing special about the way i brake. i am a very conservative driver. no fast driving and stopping short. i drive daily but short local trips. i purchased my 2004 xc90 in late 2003 and today i only have 14,000 miles on the car...i have had other cars and this has never happened!! i think this must be a flaw in design. the xc90 is a very heavy suv and i am not sure that they considered this when they designed the brakes!!

[Blue Magic Bus]

Wow.. two sets of brakes already with only 14,000 miles? I was going to ask if you ride the brake pedal which would give some premature wear, but that would happen with any vehicle you drive.


To your comment about the brakes being not sized for the weight of the vehicle, I really don't believe that's the case. Having worked for a Swedish-based company for years (ABB) I recall they had a tendancy to overengineer things, and with Volvo's safety record, having good brakes would be high on their priority list.

We just got our first Volvo ('05 XC90) last month and had it in the shop for it's first 7500 mile interval maintenance. Brakes were just fine all the way around. On our previous SUV, a '99 Explorer, the brakes were good for 40-50K miles in the front and more than that in the rear. I would expect no less from the XC90.

Since your problem is affecting both front and rear I wonder if it could be a faulty master cylinder putting out pressure through the brake lines and causing the linings to drag as the wheels turn? A brake expert would need to give some feedback on this.

When you depress the brake pedal and then release it, does it return all the way up to the top of travel? Or if you grab the brake pedal and pull it upwards is there any movement in the up direction or is the pedal already all the way up? The pedal should have a spring return to hold it in the up position, if it's weak or broken maybe the pedal is down and providing just enough weight (force) to again have the brake pads in contact as the wheels are turning. (But in this event the brake lights would most likely also be on all the time).


Good luck, and let us know you find.

[arejohn]

If your brakes are dragging that much I would expect your gas consumption would higher than others on this site.

Years ago, I had a 245 auto that needed brakes at 12k miles.
I replaced the auto with a 4sp stick and trippled the brake life. Turned out the wife was using the brake pedal for a foot rest. Anyone else drive your 90?

[Big]

i am having a difficult time understanding why i needed to purchase front brakes at 7,500 miles on myxc90 2004...and then again at 14,000 miles...front and rear brakes!!! is anyone else experiencing this? is my car defective? or are the brakes just garbage? :mad: Something is wrong. I'm still on the original brakes at 53k miles and a few owners have done even better. The car is heavy but the brakes are huge. Have the brakes and the traction & stability systems checked out, by another dealer if necessary.

[Tyrant11429]

Or posssibly its the computer sensor that is applying the pressure lightly while you drive on and off possibly while at highway speeds or not. These car are awd with trac and have brake sensors. I'd take it back to volvo and have them go step by step on the brakes and sensors etc, since you are under warrenty. If anything was bad to happen and someone got hurt or even killed would be there fault in not finding the problem when they had the car in the shop and before something could happen, better to safe than sorry. Good luck, let us know how it goes.

[oldbones]

i made a call to directly to volvo customer service...they will schedule their technican to have a look at my car....examine the brakes. they did not seem overly concerned...they stated that volvo uses very soft brakes pads and that they are very safe. in my opinion, this is no excuse.

i'll keep you posted. thanks for the replies and feedback!!

[dmd]

How are they being determined that they need replaced?

Could be a dealer that needs some money. Did you inspect the pads yourself?

[oldbones]

How are they being determined that they need replaced?

Could be a dealer that needs some money. Did you inspect the pads yourself?

i did not inspect them myself...i wouldn't know what to look for!! i felt the brakes were very 'mushy' and that's why i took the car in. however, i bit--ed and moaned and the dealer replaced them under warranty.

[dmd]

OK, so they probably were not worn out, they just "felt" different.

That is completly different than being worn out or even close. It could
have been that the tire spray that you use saturated the outside brake pad or anything like that.

Not sure how a rant can start about brakes being worn when there is no idea how worn they were, or even how to tell they are worn. :confused:

[RedXC]

It could be a defective valves, siezed pistons, clogged brake line, brake dragging, out of round brake rotor.

[dmd]

It could be a defective valves, siezed pistons, clogged brake line, brake dragging, out of round brake rotor.


That is assuming that they were worn at all... With the above they would have been worn uneven or maybe a shutter. The poster just said they felt differnt and didnt add a pull or shake.

[Tyrant11429]

That's true

[arejohn]

OK oldbones, it's been 2 weeks, what's the fix?

[oldbones]

OK oldbones, it's been 2 weeks, what's the fix?

i have an appointment with the dealer on tues 2/21. i'll let u know then.

[oldbones]

here's an update---

i just got back from having the brakes inspected...according to the serviceman, there is nothing wrong with them. :confused: his theory is that the xc90 has very soft brakes..the softest in the volvo fleet...that wear quickly during 'stop and go' driving. he also suspects that the dealership could have replaced the brakes prematurely. he suggested that the next time i hold onto the worn brake pads for further analysis.

needless to say, i am very confused by all of this. i know nothing about cars other than driving them...i never expected to purchase a car and be forced to purchase brake pads every 7,000 miles. its not as if i am the only xc90 owner who drives in a city....stop and go driving. do they have to purchase brake pads every 7,000 miles!!!??

should i consider other types of brake pads. i.e. ceramic? would they last longer and are they safe?

[BillAileo]

From reading the thread as a whole, it seems unlikely that your earlier pad replacements were warranted. Like the serviceman suggested, hold onto the pads next time.

FWIW: I know you are talking about an XC90 but the XC70 braking situation isn't too much different and we are over 50,000 miles on the original XC790 pads and still have a ways to go....

Bill

[Morrison]

I just took my 2004 t6 to have the alignment checked at 28,000 and I asked them to check the pads so I would know if I needed them replaced when I brought it back for the 30,000 miles service. The brakes have not felt as responsive as new since @15,000 miles . At the 15,000 and 22,500 miles service I asked them to check the pads and replace if needed , they said they were fine and should last to 30,000 miles . They recorded the % on my service records and my concerns. At the 28,000 miles check the service tech said they needed to be replaced today as they were dangerously low. I told him that I wanted them replaced earlier but he said the dealer must have wanted me to save some money and stretch it out. Well I got my bill $440.71 ! They replaced ft pads and rotors. They said the rotors were worn out and they could not be turned. I told them I knew they could not be turned but it seemed most people were getting 2 sets of pads before they had to replace the rotors. They told me with the new pads they would grip the rotor differently and start to groove them .

I told them to give me the old rotors and they did . I see no uneven wear and they seem smooth and all sides . How do you tell when the rotors should be replaced?

[Big]

needless to say, i am very confused by all of this. i know nothing about cars other than driving them...i never expected to purchase a car and be forced to purchase brake pads every 7,000 miles. its not as if i am the only xc90 owner who drives in a city....stop and go driving. do they have to purchase brake pads every 7,000 miles!!!?? I haven't heard of this before although there have been a few reports of needing brakes at around 15,000 miles. There are 3 things we could explore:

1. The dealer may have replaced the brakes unnecessarily. This sounds likely given the low mileage and the fact that the rear brakes--which should last longer than the fronts--were also replaced. I'd talk to some other owners about their experience with this service department and I'd try another dealer if possible. This just doesn't smell right.

2. There is something wrong with the car. Given item 1 above, I wouldn't have great trust in their opinion that nothing is wrong. I would want to know exactly what they tested and the results, and those things should include all the sensors and control systems that involve the brakes.

3. Your son is driving the car without you knowing it. ;) As an example of how driving style affects brakes, my neighbor has a 2004 XC90 and a similar driving pattern to mine and yet replaced their brakes at around 30,000 while mine are well over 50,000. Riding in their car I notice that he has a rather heavy foot, not super aggressive but not careful either--he "just drives." Frankly, most people drive in a way that keeps brake shops busy. There may well be things you can do to double your brake life if that is important to you.

I hope things get better. Brakes are not meant to be replaced at every oil change!

[Ricky D]

Took my xc to the dealer today for brake chatter and front pads are gone, not good at 15222 miles. I hope this is just a onetime weird deal, most Volvo owners tell me 25-50 should be normal. Maybe doing 115 MPH a couple of times going to Vegas didnt help. Oh well dealer $212.00 installed and rotors are good.

Ricky D

[dmd]

Im at that milage and mine look like new. I always wonder if the dealer
swaps them out to make some more cash. I will have to see how long mine
last when I keep a eye on them.

Anyone know the limit that the dealer uses to swpa them?

[bobigski]

My XC 90 2.5T AWD 13,500 miles OSD 5/05 willbe going in for sked. maintenance in a few weeks and I hope I will have another 7 or 8 thousand more miles before any brake work.:)

[20yearswithvolvos]

I was also incredulous when one of the two dealers in the area told me that I needed new front pads at 24k miles. But had to admit that braking was more solid after replacement -- at least that's what the brain needed to think after the eyeballs [pico] saw the bill. For a variety of reasons, I'm going to a different dealer now. Let's see what the next 24k bring. . . .

[zuma72]

Hi guys. I havent been on this forum for many months - was just checking in today after my '04 XC90 T6 went in for routine service and some recall work and ho and behold the brakes had to be done a second time in 45oookm!!! Found this thread and thought i would just put in my 0.02 for this as well

Somewhere in the past i learned that Volvo uses a softer compound for their brakes and therefore needs more frequent replacement...?? If this is the case shouldn't volvo make this part of the Warranty then? I realize these are routine wear and tear issues BUT isn't this a little excessive???

[Ricky D]

zuma72 you are right or put brake sensors like most EURO cars so I dont go into the rotors. My junk 1985 Benz had sensors and a light on the dash to gave me 1000 miles to get my car in. Next pad swap I will do my self.

[dmd]

What does the dealer use to determine the pads need replacing, and did you see that they pads were actually warn to the point that they really needed replacing?

Sounds like the dealer have a racket going replacing the pads.

[Lemon]

Our 2003 XC90 does not yet have 40,000 miles on it, but we have been told we need to replace the pads again (second time) and rotors. Last month it was the engine mount. And we are on the third set of tires. The car has never been off road and basically takes kids back and forth to school. Truly disappointing from what was supposed to be such a great company.

[dmd]

No one seems to answer the real question, have you looked a the breaks to determine if they really need replacing? How much material is left of the original?

Engine mount is not a big deal, it is a machine and things go wrong. Hasent been
a common item to fail.

XC90s like tires, make sure you check on the ones that last longest. Soft
compounds will wear real fast.

If these are the only issues, sound like a pretty good car. Also sounds like you
listen to the service dept too much and dont verify what they say.

[Ricky D]

If the only thing I have to do is pads no big deal. On my 05 it goes like this, 18000 pad slap on the front and rotors every other time and 40000 rears pads/rotors. I found this is small price to pay for really good brake performance.

Tires

OE first set 18000 they were done, so with a little checking around I went with TOYO's. I am now at 44000 miles and the tires still have at least another 15000 miles.

[pish1957]

Yesterday I took my wife's 07 XC90 2WD in for problems with the brakes (24.5K mi). She was out of town and it started making a grinding noise. Upon inspection when she returned, the driver's side front is down to the metal and the rotor is scored bad. Passenger side and rears look fine. Took it to the dealer and they tell me it's just normal wear and tear and not covered by warranty. I questioned how one side can be worn so much more than the other. Surely there is something wrong with the brake sticking or the bias to the brakes. They say no. $550 to replace both front rotors and brakes. I asked for the used parts because I can't believe this is normal. I pick the car and parts up tomorrow. I'll let you know what I find. If they wear this quickly at least put in some sensors.

[G8 fan]

I put 4 dimpled and slotted rotors from brake performance.com on my 05 T6 XC90 and love them. You can hear and feel the dimples when you brake, which I personally think is kind of cool, but may not be for everybody. They look great and the feel of the brakes is excellent. The brakes have squeaked a couple times after getting rained on then sitting and getting rusty. I can't stand squeaky brakes, but it has gone away each time. When I need new pads, I will either buy their premium pads or shop around. If anybody has a replacement pad recommendation, that might help us all. The rotors themselves are still true as can be with zero pulsation. The control feels great when I stop. Front and rear rotors cost $434 shipped to my door in March 2010 with a lifetime warranty against warping and with free pads.

If your Volvo is wearing parts and tires out prematurely, I highly recommend going to a reputable non-Volvo shop and asking them to ignore Volvo's alignment spec, and point all 4 wheels the same direction. Willis Volvo kept aligning the front wheels very pigeon toed and it chewed through 2 sets of tires, 5 tie rod ends, 3 hub bearings, rotors and brakes, etc., etc., etc. I avoided the Volvo dealer, and had Merrill Axle replace the last tie rod end and hub bearing it needed, then align it to a normal spec, and our XC90 drives way better than when it was new and it is no longer chewing through parts and tires. My wife can tell the difference in how it drives and rides, and she is not picky at all about that stuff. 20K on tires and 40K on rotors is totally unsatisfactory to me, but I think I finally solved the root problem because I have 15K on tires (235/60R18 Yokohama Parada Spec-X) and brakes and show hardly any wear on either with the non-Volvo alignment.