Ok, I need some help before I go crazy and start throwing money at this problem.

I have a 2007 S40 on which I had new tires put on. Michelin 205/55/16. After I got the car back it seemed that the balancing was off as there was a vibration in the steering wheel. I also had a vibration when braking.

I then replaced the front rotors and pads and the vibration when braking has gone, but I still had the vibration when driving on the freeway.

I had the balancing rechecked by the dealer and it did not improve and then I had it done at an independant store. They told me the balancing was off on two wheels.

Now when I drive it seems better but every now and then I will get the vibration at 45-55mph.

What could be the issue here. Could it be that the rotors for the brakes are out of round.....just guessing.

I have even rotated the tires and that did not help.

Thanks in advance for the help.

 

Don't take for granted that the shop is aligning and balancing your wheels properly. Or that the tires don't have a defect. I had a problem a few years ago with pulling and vibrations. Had the car back to NTB 4 times and still had the same problems. I went to a different shop and found the alignment out and balance off. When I bought my V50 used, I had Michelin Pilot Exalto A/S installed and had vibrations. One tire was defective.
Stan

 

thanks for the reply. I finally found out what the problem was. After having the tires checked at multiple shops and also having them road force balance the tires, I still had a vibration in the steering at 55-70mph. I then decided to purchase a new set of tires. After putting the new set on the problem was still there. I then took the car to another volvo dealer who told me the new tires had radial runnout. So I returned the new tires and the dealer put the old michelins back on. The problem was still there.

While the car was at the dealer I mentioned that there was a noise from the engine when the a/c was on. The dealer told me that the engine mount was worn. After replacing it the car was like new, but still had a slight vibration in the steering. So I rotated the passenger side front and rear tiires. Problem solved.

In the end, it was a combination of engine mount and tires.....

 

What you described makes me wonder if you have a bad rim. When my '02 S40 was new it had a vibration that the dealer could not figure out. I did the same thing as you did, swapping one side front and rear) and the vibration went away. That pinpointed it to a specific tire/rim. I went back to the dealer and they swapped out all 4 tires/rims and everything was good.
Stan

 

I thought that too at one point..that one or more rims were bad, but when I took them in for road force balancing to an independent shop, they told me the rims were good.

Unfortunately I am not the original owner of the car. When it comes time to have the tires changed again, I will have them check the rims again. Until then, the tire that I know causes vibration on the front, is now at the rear passenger side. I intend on branding all my tires/rims so that I know where they are in-case the dealer rotates them at service time.

I have thought about purchasing a dial indicator and checking it myself.

 

What type of Michelin's did you buy? You only posted the tire size.

I had this problem a couple weeks ago when I purchased the S40 from a guy in Orlando. I ended up buying new Michelin MXV4's, resurfaced the front 2 brake rotors, got 2 new brake rotors for the rear, and new brake pads.

I then took it home and flushed the brake fluids myself with some Valvoline DOT4 brake fluid.

All the vibrations have gone away, and I can do 90+ on the highway with no problems what-so-ever.

I would suggest having another shop look at the alignment for you, and see if the brakes were put on properly. If that doesn't work, look at getting your brake and power steering fluid flushed and replaced. Only thing with the power steering is that Volvo takes a special kind (green in color, unlike most which is red)...so make sure whoever does it for you gets the right fluid. That might be a job you should have a Volvo dealer do for you.

 

It is your axles! I had this exact problem. Got so bad i thought my car was going to shake apart. I have a 2007 Volvo S40 as well. I have the front axles replaced (costly) but it fixed the problem.

 

I saw your engine mount solution. Be prepared that the axles could be next. I had the right engine mount replaced and the front axles at different times. The engine mount was first because of the cost. It made the problem a little better but did not fix it. As soon as the axles were replaced, problem solved.