My wife took her Volvo in for a brake job which cost $700 for only the front brakes. The pads were not worn through and the rotors were not scored (50,000 miles)but the pads were very thin as expected. The shop replaced the rotors rather than turning them. CAn't the rotors on this car be turned? As a result the brake job was very expensive and the rear brakes will need to be replaced soon. How hard is it to replace the rear pads? Is the parking brake involved and are any special tools necessary other than a C clamp? On my explorer it is a piece of cake. In fact I have never replaced or turned the rotors on that car and things have been fine even after 175,000 miles.
An awful lot of workshops seem to have a habit of replacing the discs (rotors) whether they need it or not. They *do* have to be replaced if they are scored, or worn below the minimum permissible thickness, or buckled. But a lot still get replaced unnecessarily.
Whereas they *can* be machined, it is not necessarily a whole lot cheaper than replacing them when labour charges are taken into account.
Both front and rear pads can fairly easily be D-I-Y'd if you're reasonably competent. In my view, the front ones are easier because the whole calliper can be released from the hub assembly and pulled away from the disc without disconnecting the flexible hydraulic pipe - as long as you support it properly, and don't strain the pipe. You will need a 7mm Allen key or hex bit (not a very common size - here in UK, at any rate) and removing and replacing the springy bit of wire is a bit tricky - otherwise no problem.
The rears are not *too* bad - and again, you don't need to disturb the hydraulics. You don't need to touch the parking brake, either. The rear brakes use a combined disc and drum, the drum being for the parking brake - with its own shoes which should never wear out - and the disc for the normal stopping brake. Whereas the front calliper only has one piston, and slides sideways to compensate for pad wear, the rear calliper has two pistons, and is bolted rigidly to the hub. The pads are retained by a couple of nail-like pins which pass through interference holes in the calliper, and clearance holes in the pad plates. These have to be tapped out with a pin punch from the inboard side, which can be a bit tricky - but not too bad really. With the pins out, you can remove the springy steel pad cover, and get at the pads. In theory, the pads should slide out. In practice, they won't come past the outer unworn bit of the disc until they have been squeezed into the calliper to compress the pistons. You can then wangle them out, fit the new ones, re-fit the springy steel covers and tap the pins back in.
Thanks, but how do I retract the pistons so that I can put the new thicker linings in? On my Ford I remove the calipers from the hub and use a C clamp. Both front and rear use flexible rubber hoses between metal brake lines and the calipers.
The cost on rotors is dirt cheap to the dealer. The comeback rate on turned or resurfaced rotors, especially the hat type that Volvo uses is pretty close to 100% for brake pedal vibration or squeal. The replacement time is much lower than the time required for machining so the Dealeships would rather garner a higher CSI from returning the brakes to as new condition rather than redo the job for a second time later at no charge plus the cost of free rotors. Training people how to turn a rotor, even with the most modern equipment, involves a fair amount of time and a steep learning curve to produce a reliably satisfactory result. Brcause the results vary so widely from tech to tech most dealerships, and small shops as well, have given up on turning all but full size pickup, van and SUV one piece hub and rotor assemblies.
The work on a Volvo is probably the easiest of almost any car. See reoly to duplicate post below for some thoughts on pricing.
Assuming there's *some* lining left, you can retract the pistons enough to remove the pads by using pliers to squeeze the accessible bits of the pads towards the calliper body. But *don't* lever against the disc! Once the pads are out, you can get water-pump pliers in between the disc and piston to retract the piston further, if necessary.
Having just looked at the manual again, I think I gave you duff gen about the pins in my earlier post. To remover these, you tap them towards the centre-line of the vehicle rather than outwards from the inside.
If you still have problems, send me an email off-list with a genuine reply address, and I'll send you copy of the relevant instructions from the manual.
I had my own Taxis for many years so I think through my pocket I can offer advice .Your discs will not need turning unless they are ruined by pads worn to the metal .No matter how scored the discs are .As long as the scores are in not chucks missing .If you think about it you will have more brake area in effect .As your pads are not worn out you have been ripped off .I found many tried this on me when changing my tires ,they would suggest I have my discs removed and turned ,gound down in fact .@ 50.000 miles they are like new .$700.00 US dollars is a huge amount to pay .
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