my 1990 Volvo DL makes a loud grinding noise in the wear when I brake. The noise only comes when the car slows down to a stop. When I'm driving with decent speed and brake I do not have the noise. Does this mean I need new brake pads?

 

means you should do a brake inspection, and replace what's needed. could need pads, or pads and rotors. if you don't know when it was done last (or it was more than 2-3 years ago), you should flush the brake fluid.

 

This video might help. If you can't see through the wheel, take it off and check.

 

I took it to Firestone and they said all 4 rotors and pads need to be replaced. They showed me them....One of the rotors looked completely worn, while the other 3 looked good but Firestone said that they were to thin and could not be resurfaced. They said that this car is hard to do this job on, and that there is a chance that the metal brake line that goes to calipers can easily be bent. Is this true? I would like to know if I could do this myself. I looked at the video but, of course, seeing and doing are 2 diff. things.

 

240 brake jobs? a snooze in the park. get the Bentley 240 book for detailed guidance.

I would never take a european car to one of those chain service places, they are notorious for both blatant rippoffs, and just plain incompetent service. find a local independent shop that has experience working on Volvos and such european cars, and the owner takes pride in his work, you'll be a much happier camper (and so will your car).

 

As Pierce noted, the 240 is one of the easiest cars to do a brake job on. Certainly you will need a minimum of 2 rotors and pads. Was the one on that was obviously bad on the front or the rear? The rear pads wear a lot slower than the front and may not need replacement. Take a look at the pads themselves. If you have 1/4 inch of pad or more in both sides of the rear, then they do not need replacement.

Another thing to check is if any of the pistons are binding up. Many times if only one rotor was damaged due to metal on metal braking, the caliper on the opposite side may be binding and not doing the work it should.

Any proper indy Volvo shop should be able check for this and give you the proper advice.