Rear brake judder

Gareth

Have only just registered into the forum. Wish I had read your problem earlier as the following may have been of interest to you.

I was the first registered owner of a V70 Classic which I bought in June 2000, therefore I know it's full history. At the 18000 mile service, the discs were reported as warped. Unfortunately they couldn't be replaced by the dealership who carried out the service at the time, so next day I instructed my local dealership to complete the work. I too was very unhappy being informed that I'd need to pay for new pads. So I contacted the dealership who had originally serviced the car and was informed that the pads would not need replacing. (The current pads were in perfect condition). So all the necessary work was carried out at that particular Volvo dealership.

12 months later... You can imagine my horror at my next service being informed that the dics were once again warped. (the car having covered only 9000 miles since the last service). On questioning this, I was informed that the Series 1 V70 had a history of brake problems. The problem was thought to be caused by inferior quality of metal being used in disc manufacturing process.

I note your comments on giving your dealership an ear-bashing, and I felt exactly the same. But lets be honest, they're only executing the instructions given to them by Volvo. I can only praise the service department for letting me know their theory. Once again, it was their considered opinion that the current pads were good enough to use on the new set of discs so I gave the go ahead for them to replace all necessary parts under warranty.

As my warranty is due to run out in 6 months time, and I don't fancy paying for replacement discs on an annual basis, I directed all my frustration at Volvo UK rather than the dealership. (Contact customer relations via their web site). I asked them for their comments on how my experience squared with their current slogan 'Volvo for life'. I also asked them that if a known brake problem existed, then why was this information not disclosed to customers? I also asked what stage were the Volvo engineers up to in providing a solution?

Obviously I didn't get a reply to these questions, but I did receive a call from customer services to say they have investigated the matter, and believe that fitting the new 'improved compound' brake pad in conjunction with the new discs should solve the warping problem. Now I don't know if a new all singing all dancing brake pad actually exists, but what did happen was I received a call from the Volvo dealership to say Volvo UK had been in contact with them and that all the necessary parts were on order. A week or so later and these new pads were fitted to my car - all under warranty. I give full marks to Volvo UK Customer Relations for their help on this occasion.

It may be of some interest to you that Customer Services also said that although pads are 'wear and tear' items, it's at the dealerships discretion whether or not they are replaced under warranty!(Your dealership may be making an assumption that Volvo will not cover the cost of pads). At the very worst, Volvo should at least contribute some money towards the cost of pads if the garage's policy is 'pad's MUST be renewed when discs are replaced'.

Ask yourself this. If pads 'MUST' be changed whilst changing discs, and the customer has to foot the bill, wouldn't that'd be very easy money for the dealer concerned? What would be the incentive for them NOT to change the discs? In effect they have a monopoly on you. I've had a few other concerns with my car, and in particular my local Volvo dealership (the contents of which could fill an entire forum on it's own). My advice would always be to contact Volvo UK if you have a problem.

R.


P.S. It may be the case that next year my discs will be warped again! Who knows? But what I can tell you is that Volvo UK definitely have my problem on record. So although my car will be out of warranty, you can be rest assured Volvo UK will be paying for the new discs / pads. I think it's the Sale of Goods act which states that 'goods must be fit for the purpose they were intended for' (or something along those lines). A 12 month life cycle may be fit for Volvo's Touring Cars but not for my 'hand-washed every Sunday' V70!