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My Volvo 850 shudders when I brake. It has front and rear rotors that are less than 10000 miles old. My pads are 5000 miles old. The front rotors have been turned once because they were warped. The mechanic says my front rotors are bad and need to be replaced. He said that my front brakes are bad too because they are uneven.
I hear a scratching noise coming from the engine. The mechanic says it is due to a worn serpentine belt. He demonstrated it by spraying lubricant on the belt and the sound went away for a little while. However, my serpentine belt is only 10000 miles old.
My friends tell me to ask a guy to send the vehicle for repair instead of going there myself because mechanics take guys more seriously than girls.
Any help is greatly appreciated. Thank you.
Michelle-_-
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I must say that a '95 850 is not a good vehicle to own for a person with limited funds and without do-it-yourself capability. If you are going to keep this vehicle and pay to have it serviced, you need to use someone who works on Volvos all the time as they do have some quirks.
As to the other issues, how a person dresses and speaks does indeed effect how other people interact with the person. You probably would react differently to a man in a tailored suit than you would a guy wearing nothing but a Speedo. Something to think about.
John
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John,
I receive the same treatment as other customers when I go shopping. Is going to the mechanic any different from going shopping? Do I have to dress differently just because I am visiting the mechanic?
Not all mechanics are like that. I wore next to nothing under my jacket on my last visit to a mechanic and he treated me really well.
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Thanks for all your help. I live at Ypsilanti, MI.
I do not have any money left for servicing the car. I guess I would have to save up and spend less of my allowance for the next few months in order to pay for the repairs. Hopefully, the car can last till then. My parents are pretty upset and I do not think that they will give me any more money for the car.
Michelle
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Michelle,
Find a different mechanic! If you lived in the twin cities area I could reccomend a few that are good and know their stuff.
Put your ZIP code in your profile so we know what part of the country you are in. We are here to help, not bother you.
When you mechanic says that the brakes are uneven, he said that on of the calipers is sticking and causing the rotors to over heat and warp!
When he sprays lubricant on the Sbelt and the noise goes away, then it is the tensioner bearings.
Don't blame the car. It is the lousy mechanic!
Klaus
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(V♂LV♂s 1975 164, 1995 854T, 1998 V70R)
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Hi Rule 308,
Did you respond to my post? It seems that your response is empty.
Michelle-_-
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Rule 308 is Mark...his reply isn't empty and he offers really good advise. At least I can read his lengthy reply, so try clicking on his reply again.
To answer your question about warped rotors, they become hot and do warp, especially if a caliper is sticking and it became excessively hot. You say 10K miles...is this after they were turned? If so, turning them makes them thinner and more apt to warp because they heat up faster and get hotter. Buying decent quality rotors is the trick...like Mark says, buy OEM...they hold their shape better. If you buy cheaper after market ones, they are less likely to dissapate the heat and thus they are more prone to warp, so in the long run it is cheaper to pay a bit more up front (rather than taking in your car often to have brake work done on them). In regards to how you dress and how a mechanic should do his job, I'm in total agreement with you...a job is a job and an ethically minded professional is not going to let anything get in his/her way of performing their trade as expected.
--
1998 S70 T5 Emarald Green Metallic, 2004 V70 2.5T Ruby Red, Previous Owner of Black '94 850 Turbo Wagon. My cars have been running so well lately they've got me worried.
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Hi,
The rotors were ~5000 miles old when they were turned and the pads were replaced. After ~5000 more miles, they became warped again and the pads became uneven. The rotors were provided by the mechanic. I did not purchase them seperately. The mechanic who inspected my car said that I can drive with the bad brakes for another few more months because they are not very bad yet. However, the uneven pads will cause the rotors to become warped again.
Any ideas on the uneven pads or the serpentine belt lubrication?
Occasionally, there is a burnt smell coming from the engine. The mechanic said that the engine oil may be leaking onto some hot component and the burnt oil is causing the smell. He does not know where the leak is coming from. However, this is the same mechanic who turned the rotors, replaced the pads and is asking me to replace the rotors and pads again. Any ideas?
It looks like this Volvo is a huge lemon. I spent more than $1000 on repairs in less than 6 months. It has 90000 miles on it.
Michelle-_-
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Just for grins, I never have rotors turned. They are easily and inexpensive to replace. Most European cars suggest that the rotors are not turned.
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Michelle,
The largest single cause of brake disk warpage is improperly torqued wheel bolts or nuts. If your mechanic is wrenching the wheels on with an air rachet and not paying attention to the spec, that could explain all your symptoms. The spec is 80 lb-ft. If he's using an air rachet he must use a tool called a torque stick and tighten in cris-cross sequence. This is so important that I carry a torque wrench in my trunk and check the wheels whenever a shop has replaced one.
You can check the torque by loosening the wheel nuts just a bit one at a time in cris-cross sequence and then tightening each with the torque wrench, noticing if any are overly tight (or loose) to discover if they were done wrong.
At this point you need new disks (no more turning) and probably a new shop, who knows how to put the wheels on right.
Just to further make your day, spraying the serpentine belt is a no-no. If it is gunked up and squeeling, look for leaks which are getting oil on it ( the power steering pump has been known to leak at the shaft exit and get oil on the drive pulley and then the belt. Only permanent fix is to clean up the oil while changing the belt and check the tension pulley for a bad bearing at that time, replacing it if it's bad, without lubricating the new one.
I don't mean to sound harsh, I'm just disgusted with your garage, and the way you've been treated by them.
Larry
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I had a look at the components surrounding the serpentine belt today and I saw a slightly rusty component that is in contact with the belt. I did not spot any oil around the serpentine belt. This is the same component that the mechanic sprayed lubricant on and made the sound go away for awhile.
From all the replies, I guess I have to change the brakes and rotors. I still have no idea whether to change the tensioner and serpentine belt or to just leave it as they are. As for the oil leak, I guess I can live with it since the mechanic said that the leak isn't bad.
I am pretty much broke and can only afford to change what is neccessary.
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posted by
someone claiming to be fixit 2003
on
Tue Jan 31 07:25 CST 2006 [ RELATED]
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Was you serpintine belt recently replaced? There really shouldn't be anything rubbing on it unless it's the wrong size. My son was sold a belt for his truck that worked for a few thousand miles. It then stretched a bit and allowed two pulleys to start rubbing together. This sounded like an awfully expensive mechanical engine problem 'til we spotted the pulleys. A new belt solved this problem. There are a handfull of maintenance items you can do to keep your 850 in great shape but since you can't do them yourself it can be rather expensive. It seems like you wouldn't be able to do them all but be sure the timing belt has been changed. It's supposed to be done at 70K miles. If yours wasn't done you're driving on borrowed time and risking a ruined engine. The '95 transmissions seem to develope odd problems if not maintained well. Be sure the transmission fluid is replaced every 30K miles or so.
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maybe you should ask this board if they could recommend a decent shop, if you tell where you live.
Also, from my experience (as a customer and also as a former employee of an autoparts store), many " mechanics" have very gross idea about Volvo cars since Volvos are not as common as Ford, Toyota, etc.
For example, when my '95 850 developed noise my mech said: "make radio louder". After driving another 6-8 months noise got a lot worse -first he replaced PS pump -noise improved, but there still was "wining" sound on acceleration -next he replaced tensioner, again slightly better but still noisy and I remainded to him that he never listened to idler pulley -replaced it -no noise. 3 trips where should be one or two max.
Tell us where you are, and maybe someone here will help you to find decent+good mechanic.
PS
I used to work as a driver delivering parts to mechanics -about 30% needed my help to determine if aftermarket part was right or not. Out of 50 shops I delivered parts, I would take my own car to maybe 5-6...
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Hi,
I seeked a second opinion regarding the oil leak and this mechanic told me that it is a rear main seal and it costs $1300 to repair. I went back to the original mechanic and he told me that it is impossible for the leak to come from the rear main seal.
Michelle-_-
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The RMS (Rear Main Seal) is not only possible, it happens to most 850's after awhile, especially if maintenance on the pcv (positive crankcase ventilation) hoses was not done...this includes keeping them clean (including the oil trap) and/or replacing the hoses if they are clogged. I too agree that you need a new mechanic. This guy is draining you and doesn't seem to know your vehicle as much as he's letting on. New Rotors at 5000miles is absurd. Incorrect torquing (as mentioned earlier) and/or a bad caliper could be the cause of all of this. Until both are checked and done correctly, this guy will continue to cause you to have to buy new brake pads and rotors as long as you keep your car and keep going to him. The oil leak may or may not be the RMS. More common is a simple and inexpensive repair called a turbo oil return line gasket ($8 part and about an hour of labor). Get yourself to a new mechanic and tell him all that's gone on. I would hate for you to abandon a very good car due to someone else's ignorance.
--
1998 S70 T5 Emarald Green Metallic, 2004 V70 2.5T Ruby Red, Previous Owner of Black '94 850 Turbo Wagon. My cars have been running so well lately they've got me worried.
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Hi,
Thanks for all your help.
How did the rotors become warped in the first place? The mechanic said that the front rotors will become warped again because the front brakes are uneven. How did the front brakes become uneven in the first place? Both the brakes and rotors are less than 10000 miles old. Even if I change new brakes and rotors, I may not address the problem because the rotors may become warped and the brakes uneven after a few thousand miles and I will be back where I started.
A friend had a look at my car and told me to buy a lubricant and spray it on the top tensioner in contact with the belt. He feels that my serpentine belt is less than 10000 miles old and will not snap. Will that work?
Mark, the main reason why I prefer a guy to bring the car to the mechanic is not because I do not trust the mechanic but because I had a really bad experience. Some guys feel that if I dress like a slut, I should expect to be treated like one. However, I feel that I am free to dress however I want. A mechanic’s job is to service the car (and he is paid to do that) and not anything else.
Michelle-_-
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Michelle,
Your brakes are as Made in Japan said, you will need new pads and rotors to straighten that out. In my experience the Zimmermans are crap and I run either factory Volvo rotors or ATE and use only Volvo pads. While your belt noise could be a tensioner it sounds more consistent with a belt. Depending upon the type of belt you have installed on it now it could just as easily be the belt as a tensioner. If it was a faulty tensioner or idler I would install a new belt with it at that time anyhow, might as well put the new belt on first and see if it takes care of the noise. Use either a factory Volvo belt or a CRP (Continental Rubber Products) as they do make them for Volvo. As far as sending in a guy to do it, don't take it the wrong way but I have to laugh at that. Every once in awhile I will get that routine from a new customer and I treat him just as I would her but the fact of the matter is that unless this "guy" that they send in really, really knows his stuff he would not know one way or the other whether I was giving him the straight scoop or blowing sunshine up his rear. Heck, I had a second time customer do it to me last week, fortunately she called right back after initially authorizing it to let me know that her guy friend was concerned so I told her I would save her old parts. A picture is worth a thousand words, her pads were metal on metal, and her chuckle head of a guy friend still had no idea of what he was looking at when presented with the old parts but he was glad that I took the time to show and explain it to him in detail. It was really funny because as soon as they got out the front door of the shop you could hear her giving him an earful for putting me through that. Your best bet is word of mouth, get a referal from someone else. Let me know where you are at and I can ask a couple of my parts vendors if they have any good shops in the area. I feel for you and really understand your concern as I have plenty of gals both in my immediate family and in my long list of regular customers. They all keep bringing their vehicles back to me because they know that I will not shaft them and if I tell them they need it whether it be $10.00 or $1000.00 they trust me and know that it will be right and tight when done. Let me know where you're at and I'll see if I can't come up with a shop for you if it would help you out.
Mark
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Michelle, listen to what Mark has to say over me. He has tons more experience on these as he works on Volvo's like yours and mine day in and day out. If I was having the trouble you are having (especially the belt noise), I would take my own car to someone like Mark rather than doing it myself anyway.
Mark, btw, I was always told that Zimmerman was the OEM maker of the rotors. On fcpgroton.com, which would be the rotors you would buy? I may have to get some in the near future for my wife's car and I was planning on getting the Zimmerman's.
--
1998 S70 T5 Emarald Green Metallic, 2004 V70 2.5T Ruby Red, Previous Owner of Black '94 850 Turbo Wagon. My cars have been running so well lately they've got me worried.
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I put Zimmerman rotors and PBR Metal Master pads on over a year ago (about 12K miles). Zero problems. No dust, no warp, no squeal, good stopping power wet or dry, excellent wear. And I do a lot of mountain driving. "Genuine Volvo" can be manufactured in Germany, Japan, China, etc.
Michelle should also be sure her brake fluid has been flushed. Brake fluid is hydroscopic which means it eventually accumulates water and that causes rust which messes up calipers and master cylinders.
--
96 850T, Bilstein HD, IPD swaybars
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You turned the rotors and they warped again...that's where the shudder is coming from...it's very common and hardly anyone turns them. If they're warped, we replace them...it's really not that expensive. If you need new ones, buy the OEM Volvo ones (made by Zimmerman, I believe) from www.fcpgroton.com
The other issue you mention could be the serp. belt tensioner and not the belt itself. In other words, the belt might not be bad (at 10K miles) but the piece the belt goes around could be, and needs to either be replaced or the belt taken off and it (not the belt) lubricated thoroughly. Spraying the lubricant on the belt is probably getting on the tensioner too and helping it, but only for a short while.
I believe I'd just keep up on these boards and learn what you need to learn, so youll "know your stuff" when you talk to a mechanic. Many assume that women don't know anything about cars, but if you show them that you do, then they will take you seriously. If you don't have confidence, then let your boyfriend or whoever go with you.
If the same mechanic who turned your rotors is claiming the serb belt is bad, then I would find a different mechanic. Where do you live? Maybe someone here can make a good suggestion concerning one.
--
1998 S70 T5 Emarald Green Metallic, 2004 V70 2.5T Ruby Red, Previous Owner of Black '94 850 Turbo Wagon. My cars have been running so well lately they've got me worried.
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