[Stickygreen]

One option for a “cheap” upgrade would be the t8 brakes. They use the same calipers and pads as t6 but use a different carrier/bracket and larger rotors. One forum member tried it and iirc, cost of t8 carriers was about $100 per corner. Only caveat is I believe the temporary spare will not fit over t8 front brakes, but haven’t confirmed this.

Another thing I’ve read on this forum is the “warped” rotors many experience are actually pad deposits building up on the rotors. So the approach of aftermarket pads on Volvo rotors might be a good way to go.

 

[yettavr6]

That’s really surprising. I’ve never had Brembo but definitely wouldn’t have expected that outcome either.

I'm sure the higher end Brembo's (i.e. big brake kits, slotted/drilled) are fine, but the solid rotors seem like some generic crap with Brembo's name slapped on them. My guess is they're comparable to Advance Auto or Autozone's in-house brands. They're made in China.

 

[ChrisJB84]

nice! Glad you weighed in on your TRW experience, other than brand recognition from seeing them at FCP over the years I don’t really know anything g about them. To do ceramics pads on the XC90 I do have to mix brands, at least if I’m buying from FCP and if I put Akebono on the front, which is probably my first choice.

I think the TRW ceramic brake pads (fronts) are available for the XC90. Not a lot of folks so far in this forum have this, it will surprise people. Good performance (braking, very low dust). And if you get it from FCP, the return and exchange policy are very accomodating. So just an FYI.

 

[VolvoXC90Inscription]

Hi
I have a related but simple question.

During the inspection yesterday, I was told that all four brakes will need replacement soon (50,000 miles and 6.5 years; I think timing of the recommendation is right). I am curious about the cost of changing four brakes at the dealer; I know it will be costly and want to get an idea from the forum before I call them. Thanks

 

[Blue SUV]

Hi
I have a related but simple question.

During the inspection yesterday, I was told that all four brakes will need replacement soon (50,000 miles and 6.5 years; I think timing of the recommendation is right). I am curious about the cost of changing four brakes at the dealer; I know it will be costly and want to get an idea from the forum before I call them. Thanks

Depending where you are located, probably ~$1K for all four rotors and pads.

 

[Trevhead]

Hi
I have a related but simple question.

During the inspection yesterday, I was told that all four brakes will need replacement soon (50,000 miles and 6.5 years; I think timing of the recommendation is right). I am curious about the cost of changing four brakes at the dealer; I know it will be costly and want to get an idea from the forum before I call them. Thanks

Our estimate from the dealer - rear brakes only - is $437 labor + rotors and pads for another $250. I didn’t get an estimate to see what fronts would add - I doubt the labor cost doubles. I bought the rotors and pads for much less than the dealer price, so I’ll be paying them $437 to install. I suspect it will be a bit less than that but similar when it’s time to do the fronts.

 

[Ultrarunner511]

Hi
I have a related but simple question.

During the inspection yesterday, I was told that all four brakes will need replacement soon (50,000 miles and 6.5 years; I think timing of the recommendation is right). I am curious about the cost of changing four brakes at the dealer; I know it will be costly and want to get an idea from the forum before I call them. Thanks

It will exceed $1k depending on the dealer labor rates. I think I was quoted $1200 on the 2017 for all four rotors and pads replaced.

Sent from my SM-G781V using Tapatalk

 

[VolvoXC90Inscription]

Thank you for all the replies. Do I need to change the rotors too? I thought if I change the pads before it's too late, then I don't need to change the rotors. May be I am wrong?

 

[Mr.phil2u]

Thank you for all the replies. Do I need to change the rotors too? I thought if I change the pads before it's too late, then I don't need to change the rotors. May be I am wrong?

If the rotors are thick enough they can be turned down on a brake lathe but my and most other dealers always replace the rotors . Modern rotors are designed to be light as possible to cut weight and increase gas mileage. When I do my brakes I replace the rotors for convenience.

 

[Ultrarunner511]

Thank you for all the replies. Do I need to change the rotors too? I thought if I change the pads before it's too late, then I don't need to change the rotors. May be I am wrong?

I would replace the rotors. If you're worried about price, go to an online parts store and order the correct rotors and pads for yours. Even your dealer may have an online parts store and the price online could save you a couple hundred. I ordered the rotors through the same dealer did the brakes. I saved over $100 just for the rotors. I picked them up at their parts counter and provided them myself.

Sent from my SM-G781V using Tapatalk

 

[Nerd23]

Our estimate from the dealer - rear brakes only - is $437 labor + rotors and pads for another $250. I didn’t get an estimate to see what fronts would add - I doubt the labor cost doubles. I bought the rotors and pads for much less than the dealer price, so I’ll be paying them $437 to install. I suspect it will be a bit less than that but similar when it’s time to do the fronts.

Honestly the brake jobs on Volvo SPA is pretty easy and straightforward. The $437 labor is just insane!!!

For the rear one, no need for any special tool or unplugging any cables, just unscrew the motor and you should be able to press the pistons...

Search for it on YouTube and see all the DIYs for SPA.

Sent from my YAL-L21 using Tapatalk

 

[edgy4sure]

I replaced all 4 with Brembo solid rotors and ceramic pads (the red ones) and they suck. They're already pulsating with no more than 5k miles on them and the dust is awful, worse then the factory pads for sure. I thought ceramic were supposed to have virtually no dust? I'm going to try getting Brembo to replace them under warranty, but whats the point if I have to replace them every 5k. I wish I would have went with my original plan for Powerslot rotors. If the pulsating is truly pad material buildup and not warped rotors as people have said, I feel like the slotted rotors would help "clean" the pads and prevent the buildup. Even if that meant changing the pads more often, i'd take that over constant pulsating. FWIW i went through 3 sets of factory rotors. Each started pulsating after about 10k.

you're really going to need Carbon Ceramic rotors to avoid the dust. Steel rotors are the real culprit

 

[Trevhead]

Honestly the brake jobs on Volvo SPA is pretty easy and straightforward. The $437 labor is just insane!!!

For the rear one, no need for any special tool or unplugging any cables, just unscrew the motor and you should be able to press the pistons...

Search for it on YouTube and see all the DIYs for SPA.

Sent from my YAL-L21 using Tapatalk

I'll report back with our final bill. I'm confused because when I scheduled it, they said it should take about two hours... that doesn't equal $437. We're taking it in next Saturday, 3/12, so I'll report back then.

 

[HKliltXC40]

You are very lucky if they will install customer supplied parts and warranty labor on a customer supplied part. Prob if they did something wrong on install the will warranty it. If the new rotors warp, do not expect warranty labor for that. You want ceramic pads, they dust about 1% of the time. Lets see what gets posted about drilled slotted rotors. I do not like them. Most that I have seen, the holes and slots fill up with dirt and brake pad dust material. Volvo Brake Kit - Akebono 31499906KT1 from FCPEURO is worth looking into. See what others post here also. FYI, the rear calipers are electronic parking brake and you need to use Volvo VIDA or a better quality scanner to put the rear brakes into service mode.

Akebono is the way to go, Scotty endorses Akebono for all cars, if they make the pads for your car. Rotors, well just make sure they are not made in China.

 

[JediMaster]

Hello

I got all these 3 yrs ago and work well.

EBC Brakes GD2016 Disc Brake Rotor EBC-GD2016 1 $315.03
EBC Brakes GD2018 Disc Brake Rotor EBC-GD2018 1 $325.79
EBC Brakes DP32260C Disc Brake Pad Set EBC-DP32260C 1 $158.46
EBC Brakes DP32246C Disc Brake Pad Set EBC-DP32246C 1 $84.02
Subtotal $883.30

labor in a regular corner shop $300 USD and 48mins work in NYC.

 

[Nerd23]

You are very lucky if they will install customer supplied parts and warranty labor on a customer supplied part. Prob if they did something wrong on install the will warranty it. If the new rotors warp, do not expect warranty labor for that. You want ceramic pads, they dust about 1% of the time. Lets see what gets posted about drilled slotted rotors. I do not like them. Most that I have seen, the holes and slots fill up with dirt and brake pad dust material. Volvo Brake Kit - Akebono 31499906KT1 from FCPEURO is worth looking into. See what others post here also. FYI, the rear calipers are electronic parking brake and you need to use Volvo VIDA or a better quality scanner to put the rear brakes into service mode.

FYI for the rear brakes, no need for a Vida nor a special scanner.

All you need to do is to remove the cover of the parking brake motor, then, unscrew the motor bolt. You should be able to press the piston after that.

Just make sure to NOT unplug any of the electrical connectors. Otherwise, you might end up with an error message that will require Vida to reset.


FYI a full DIY with this procedure is available on YouTube.

Sent from my YAL-L21 using Tapatalk

 

[nicky2]

Gentlemen: Have read full review of for brake replacements. However, no mention of a 2010 S80 T6/AWD. Rear rotors/pads NEED replacement. Have used ceramic , last 3 cars, like them. Drive @ 3, 200/yr. Drive like your "great aunt Tillly" . Have not contacted Volvo dealer for cost of reg. pads vs. ceramic. Car has 151, 365 miles. Any thoughts would be most appreciated.

 

[Quaker1]

My wife and I own a 2017 XC90 T6 Inscription. We bought it in September 2021 and are very happy with it. It's time to replace the brakes. Interestingly, our experience is very similar to the OP of this thread. We started experiencing a bit of pulsing under braking, what felt like warped rotors, and our local dealer looked at it yesterday, reporting the rears to be at 1mm and the fronts to be okay but close to replacement level.

I want to replace all four corners at the same time since the fronts are close to needing replacement anyway. After research on this forum, it seems that original Volvo brakes don't have a great reputation here - my takeaway is that they are more prone to warping and shorter-than-expected longevity. First question - is that a correct assessment?

If that's the case, I would prefer to try aftermarket discs and pads. I have a trusted local mechanic who helps me with our other cars (early 2000s Mini and BMW, so I keep him busy haha) but his shop doesn't do Volvos. However, he echoed the sentiment that Volvo brakes wear and warp more frequently, and he recommended I look into drilled and slotted brake discs to help with heat dissipation.

Meanwhile, the Volvo dealership experience yesterday was excellent. They are willing to install aftermarket brakes that I provide (I couldn't believe it). Obviously they'll only warranty their labor, not the parts, which of course is logical.

I have found a kit for all four discs and pads by Powerstop that I'm interested in. Specifically, the kit includes drilled and slotted rotors and carbon fiber ceramic pads, with a 3 year parts warranty. I can share a link to what I found but I'm not sure on post rules for linking to retail sites etc.

Does anyone here have experience with Powerstop or any other aftermarket brakes that I could consider?

I'd rethink your thoughts. We own 2016 same as yours. These rotors can't be turned. Secondly, Volvo has factory pads that are thicker and wear longer. Lastly, we have 72000 and are still on second set. 99% of our driving is on roads with lights and stop signs.

 

[Mc_Gusto]

question - how many kms should we expect from brakes? My mechanic indicated 30,000 is when they typically need changing on the xc90? Seems low? But they are volvo mechs and not dealership (stealership) and I’ve found them very honest over the journey so trust their opinion.

I just did front discs and pads, rear pads. All OEM

 

[ludwigr]

My wife and I own a 2017 XC90 T6 Inscription. We bought it in September 2021 and are very happy with it. It's time to replace the brakes. Interestingly, our experience is very similar to the OP of this thread. We started experiencing a bit of pulsing under braking, what felt like warped rotors, and our local dealer looked at it yesterday, reporting the rears to be at 1mm and the fronts to be okay but close to replacement level.

I want to replace all four corners at the same time since the fronts are close to needing replacement anyway. After research on this forum, it seems that original Volvo brakes don't have a great reputation here - my takeaway is that they are more prone to warping and shorter-than-expected longevity. First question - is that a correct assessment?

If that's the case, I would prefer to try aftermarket discs and pads. I have a trusted local mechanic who helps me with our other cars (early 2000s Mini and BMW, so I keep him busy haha) but his shop doesn't do Volvos. However, he echoed the sentiment that Volvo brakes wear and warp more frequently, and he recommended I look into drilled and slotted brake discs to help with heat dissipation.

Meanwhile, the Volvo dealership experience yesterday was excellent. They are willing to install aftermarket brakes that I provide (I couldn't believe it). Obviously they'll only warranty their labor, not the parts, which of course is logical.

I have found a kit for all four discs and pads by Powerstop that I'm interested in. Specifically, the kit includes drilled and slotted rotors and carbon fiber ceramic pads, with a 3 year parts warranty. I can share a link to what I found but I'm not sure on post rules for linking to retail sites etc.

Does anyone here have experience with Powerstop or any other aftermarket brakes that I could consider?