Hi,


I bought a 2008 Certified Pre Owned Volvo XC90 from a dealer in NJ, with 39,000 miles. It now has just over 73K miles.


I thought it was an honest deal until I started hearing brake squeeking a month after I bought the car. I took it to the dealer, and they said they had replaced the brakes, and it was just brake dust.


I thought everything was ok, but after putting on 30,000 miles, the brakes are completely shot. Worn down to almost nothing, and the rotors have almost a 1/4 inch groove around the lip.


I found this out after I went to put new tires on the car, and the Firestone tech showed me the rotors. In addition, the seats now are flaking and it appears they were spray painted by the dealer, and cracks have appeared in the plastic trim.


I have a concern I may have been duped, and the odometer may have been rolled back, as I do not believe the vehicle would show this much wear on new brakes in 30K miles. I have two other cars that have over 100K miles and the brakes are completely fine. The recent appearance of the paint wearing off the seats also has me worried about concealing a rollback.


Do Volvo's have a chip that mirrors the odometer, that I could have a mechanic check for tampering?


Thanks.

 

I've seen plenty of XC90s go through front brakes in 30k miles or less.

The mileage is in the DIM and CEM. We cannot alter the mileage at the dealer.

 

Hi, I am not accusing the dealer, but I assume they bought it from an auction. From what I have read, it is easier than ever to roll back a digital odometer, and almost commonplace in the used car market, and dealers just close their eyes to it.


I can see crappy brake pads going in 30K miles, but not sure about rotors wearing that fast, at least not to this extent. These are completely shot. I know my driving habits, and I have had plenty of other vehicles that have nowhere near that amount of wear. We had a BMW X5 that ate pads, but not rotors.


With regards to my question: Can the car be hooked up to the Volvo dealer computer to check the CEM for discrepancies?


Thanks for your input

 

The brake wear has nothing to do with mileage. It isn't like an XC90 with 100,000 miles goes through brakes faster than one with 30,000 miles.

They go through front pads and rotors in 30,000 miles all the time. I see it almost daily.

The dealer can check to see what mileage is stored or if there are mileage manipulation codes.

 

The easiest way to check for mileage descrepencies is to get a AutoCheck for CarFax. When we purchased our S70 the dash read 83,000 but the car had a warranty service at 121,000. So, there was a 38,000 mile error on the car.

You say the truck now has 73,000+ miles on it so the rotors did not wear out in 30,000 miles. I have seen people go through brakes in 30,000 miles so I would not be surprised if you need brakes after 43,000, especially fronts.

Sad to say that I have read about those XC90's having interior issues on the 2007/2008 vehicles. You may want to read New Cars, Used Cars, Car Reviews | Cars.com or some other Googled site to see what you come up with. I know it would be sad for a car to have seats that show signs of deterioration in less than 100,000 miles, especially a Volvo. However, it is possible that the original owners put something on the seats that caused them to wear/age faster. An example of that would be some harsh cleaner or vinyl product like Armor All or something. You should NEVER use vinyl products on leather.

If you have a vehicle that can get more than 100,000 miles on some brakes and rotors please share. I might just purchase one for myself.

 

brakes wearing out on a large heavy vehicle in 30k miles is unremarkable. rotors wearing out in 60-70k miles is equally unremarkable (you said new pads were put on before you bought it, but often you wouldn't do the rotors with every pad change and I would surmise the rotors were original). I have gone through pads/rotors in less than that time on cars that weigh half what the xc90 weighs. I agree with the other poster who suggested someone might have used a harsh cleaner or something on the seats. i would only use lexol or comparable.

 

"If you have a vehicle that can get more than 100,000 miles on some brakes and rotors please share. I might just purchase one for myself."

I just sold my 2006 Toyota Prius with 170000 miles. Never needed pads or rotors, and they were in excellent shape the day I sold it.


I also owned a 2004 F250 King Ranch with 80,000 miles, and the brakes and rotors were in great shape for such a heavy vehicle.


Regarding the seats, it may be just an issue for that model Volvo, which still sucks.


As far as brakes having nothing to do with rollback, I guess it would depend on how far the odometer was rolled back.


At least this forum helps ease my mind with regards to the pads and seats. I appreciate all of your input.


I will check the Carfax to see if it shows anything.


Thanks everybody!

 

It would not matter how far it was rolled back. An XC90 with 30k miles will wear brakes out just the same as one with 250k miles. You got 33k out of them and I see that all the time. I would bet money the odometer was not rolled back.

Whats the VIN?

 

You got the car at 40k 2-3 years ago ? It would've been a 3 years old car with normal mileage. I checked front pads on my S60 3k miles ago, 25% wear. Now they are at 50% wear. Depends on the pads but they seem to melt like an ice cube at the beach.

 

Yep, it appears the pads wear extremely fast. The dealer said he put on new pads when we bought it. Pads completely shot at 30K miles.

 

That uses regenerative braking so that isn't a good comparison. 30k on front pads for the XC90 is totally normal.

If you still have rollback concerns, I can check the warranty history of the VIN for anything out of the ordinary.

 

Not to bring back an old thread but do you have to use brake pads from Volvo? Can you use an aftermarket pad?

 

Go to autohausaz.com and search (free shipping if the order > $75).

- Good brands are: Akebono, Pagid, Jurid, ATE
- Stay away from Bosch Quiet thingy.

For those who wonder why the brake pads wear out every 30K, it is normal. I have a 2007 Honda Odyssey van, which weighs the same as the XC90 (4500 lbs+), and the Honda Odysseyvan brake pads are gone every 30K too.

So it is a "heavy" van/SUV issue. It is "normal".

 

I replaced the pads that were wearing that fast - don't know if they were original Volvo parts or not. I now have an aftermarket brand and the wear is much less with the same kind of city driving. To my book, this is more normal wear.

 

I am now using aftermarket ceramic pads, and they are much better.