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XC90 '02–'15 General Forum for the P2-platform XC90 model

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Are xc90 brakes generally poor.

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Old Jun 4th, 2021, 23:34   #21
ltec
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It wasn't meant to be an argument over genuine or not. Being unfamiliar with xc90s i thought I'd ask if they had good foot brake or not as maybe I was expecting too much from such a heavy 4x4. I knew the handbrakes were poor, I don't see why anyone would want to put on the park brake with your wee toe but it was bought for comfort and most importantly safety.
I'll completely strip them, grease everything and roughen the pad face incase its glazed and if they are still poor but acceptable ill leave it till they are done and need replacing. But hopefully a wee sand and freed up improves it.
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Old Jun 5th, 2021, 03:38   #22
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I changed my front and rears on my v70 not long back, i used volvo pads but after market disks, didnt have a clue what disks were on it prior. Noticed no difference before or after. There is however something i have noticed, a quick double tap makes the brakes about 25% stronger/sharper/stopping power, this was the same prior to changing them too. I also feel they need a decent bleed, i know i got all the air out but they feel spongey, but hey, my handbrake works now

Volvo are a heavy car and this is my 3rd, S70, C70 and now this wee wardrobe, not had one with brakes like my Laguna's, of which prob weighed half the amount lol
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Old Jun 6th, 2021, 09:59   #23
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ltec View Post
No the joke is that a vehicle has to have genuine pads.
There is plenty of quality none genuine brakes and if the car is unable to have good brakes with these then the brakes are a poor design.
Not everything needs to be genuine. Some people are anal about genuine parts. But you actually find the same brand of part for half the price coz no dealer stamp on it even though its the same parts.
Sometimes genuine is needed like toyota ball joints etc
I've fitted non genuine pads in shogun, landcruisers etc and no problems and other far more expensive cars than xc90s so that's a stupid remark about value coke.
Plenty of other automatic cars with shoes inside the disc that dont have the same handbrake problems as xc90 so its a volvo problem. If they've had that design for so long its very poor they didn't fix it.
For mot xc90s is the most known car to fail on handbrake.
The joke for me is you rock up on here, which unlike some other similar forums is well run and generally very well mannered and has contributing members trying to help other owners get the best out of their cars. Some members are very experienced engineers, there are also several dealer mechanics some with 40+ years experience - you cannot get experience like that anywhere else and I am not talking about any specific member or myself - there’s lots on every section. Anyway you ask what is quite a common question and then say the advice given is a joke... presumably because you don’t like it or it wasn’t the simple answer you were hoping for?

I come back to at 2.25 tons the XC90 is hard on front brakes. Unusually Volvo make their own disc and the pads are made for the under contract to their spec and hence you cannot buy them any other way other than from Volvo. The motor trade is littered with cheap poor quality pattern parts at the moment and a lot of the pattern brake parts for Volvo’s whilst will work to a point - do not match Volvo’s own. Some are better than others and I think people who fit ATE and Pagid have had good results but for the best performance and life - you will only get that from genuine Volvo. No other brand of pads are the same as Volvo just as Tesco’s ketchup isn’t the same as Heinz.... and never will be.

I’m assuming you don’t want to buy 3 sets of different manufacturer parts and spend a whole weekend swapping them over to see which work well, you just want it sorting with them minimum effort and you want good brake feel, right?
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Last edited by Tannaton; Jun 6th, 2021 at 10:02.
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Old Jun 6th, 2021, 10:48   #24
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I'm not wishing to get into an argument with anyone , I just thought I would add my two penneth for what it's worth.

Since 2010 I.ve had 3 volvos and the current one is an XC90.

I have a good relationship with my local Volvo dealer parts department and have always been given a healthy discount.

Volvo brake parts are excellent quality and whilst some aftermarket brands such as Brembo and Mintex may be perfectly acceptable, the simple fact of the matter is that Volvo pads in particular can be bought for roughly the same cost as these pattern parts. On that basis why not stick with genuine?
Another area is the rear parking brake shoes where Volvo shoes have the flat section across the top which most aftermarket ones do not and that aids the efficiency . They can be bought cheaply so why not?

Batteries are another area where my main dealer is often able to provide one at the same price as other suppliers and have the added advantage of being on your doorstep if the battery fails.

I am not for one second suggesting that quality aftermarket parts are a bad move just simply that genuine Volvo is often available at competitive prices.

My wife runs a little Toyota Yaris that is used for round the doors shopping trips. That will have aftermarket brake parts etc supplied by ECP and they will be adequate.

Lastly, I have never once found the service brakes on any of my Volvos, including the XC90 as wanting or lacking in performance or feel.
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Old Jun 6th, 2021, 11:10   #25
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Tannaton View Post
The joke for me is you rock up on here, which unlike some other similar forums is well run and generally very well mannered and has contributing members trying to help other owners get the best out of their cars. Some members are very experienced engineers, there are also several dealer mechanics some with 40+ years experience - you cannot get experience like that anywhere else and I am not talking about any specific member or myself - there’s lots on every section. Anyway you ask what is quite a common question and then say the advice given is a joke... presumably because you don’t like it or it wasn’t the simple answer you were hoping for?

I come back to at 2.25 tons the XC90 is hard on front brakes. Unusually Volvo make their own disc and the pads are made for the under contract to their spec and hence you cannot buy them any other way other than from Volvo. The motor trade is littered with cheap poor quality pattern parts at the moment and a lot of the pattern brake parts for Volvo’s whilst will work to a point - do not match Volvo’s own. Some are better than others and I think people who fit ATE and Pagid have had good results but for the best performance and life - you will only get that from genuine Volvo. No other brand of pads are the same as Volvo just as Tesco’s ketchup isn’t the same as Heinz.... and never will be.

I’m assuming you don’t want to buy 3 sets of different manufacturer parts and spend a whole weekend swapping them over to see which work well, you just want it sorting with them minimum effort and you want good brake feel, right?
You are telling lies, I did not say the advice given was a joke. I said its a joke that the xc90 brakes are so poor a design that they can't work properly on other decent non genuine parts that all other manufacturers work 100 percent on.

I didn't rock on anywhere. I found everyone's posts helpful and well mannered apart from yours. And not everyone's post agrees with your opinion.
Cheeky comments on drinking tesco value wine out of champagne glasses was the first insulting comment.
You were implying that I was fur coat and no knickers.
You twist everything around to justify volvos poor brakes. Like you cannot say anything bad about a volvo.coz it dents your ego.
You justify this by saying anyone who doesn't buy genuine parts hasn't a clue about volvo and is treating the poor volvo badly. Buying a premium car and using crap parts, tesco value wine, tesco ketchup etc.
I dont have a lot of experience in volvo but I do have a lot of experience in other manufacturers.
Just because I'm on a volvo forum doesn't mean I can't say a volvo has bad brakes.
I have added adjusters to s60 brakes etc to try and get acceptable brake, this is poor design and the only brakes I've ever worked at that had not got an adjuster for the shoes apart from tata. But the difference is volvo is supposed to be a premium car.
What your post should of said was that in your opinion xc90 brakes are not the best design and dont work to well on non genuine parts, however the genuine brakes seem to help.
Not that non genuine parts are crap and anyone who fit them are making a hash of a premium car.
You are right that I will not be fitting 3 sets of different pads.
When I service my brakes and leave them in good working order if they still are not as good as I'm used to on other cars I will leave them till they are done.
I feel I will not find anything wrong as they were not long done hence why I asked are they poor brakes due to size of car and design etc because then their is no point trying to fix a problem that doesn't exist..
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Old Jun 6th, 2021, 11:28   #26
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Quote:
Originally Posted by S60D5-185 View Post
I'm not wishing to get into an argument with anyone , I just thought I would add my two penneth for what it's worth.

Since 2010 I.ve had 3 volvos and the current one is an XC90.

I have a good relationship with my local Volvo dealer parts department and have always been given a healthy discount.

Volvo brake parts are excellent quality and whilst some aftermarket brands such as Brembo and Mintex may be perfectly acceptable, the simple fact of the matter is that Volvo pads in particular can be bought for roughly the same cost as these pattern parts. On that basis why not stick with genuine?
Another area is the rear parking brake shoes where Volvo shoes have the flat section across the top which most aftermarket ones do not and that aids the efficiency . They can be bought cheaply so why not?

Batteries are another area where my main dealer is often able to provide one at the same price as other suppliers and have the added advantage of being on your doorstep if the battery fails.

I am not for one second suggesting that quality aftermarket parts are a bad move just simply that genuine Volvo is often available at competitive prices.

My wife runs a little Toyota Yaris that is used for round the doors shopping trips. That will have aftermarket brake parts etc supplied by ECP and they will be adequate.

Lastly, I have never once found the service brakes on any of my Volvos, including the XC90 as wanting or lacking in performance or feel.
Thank you for your help.
I will try and get genuine were their prices are close.
For now ill just make sure everything is working as should and replace with genuine to see if it helps when they are done.
As I'm used to lighter high performance cars I'm maybe expecting to much from them

Last edited by ltec; Jun 6th, 2021 at 11:30.
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Old Jun 6th, 2021, 13:43   #27
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I don't think there is any inherent issue with the brakes on an XC90. The drum-in-disc handbrake design is poor (although, in fairness, many (foot) drum mechanisms are prone to seizing), and the removal of the adjusters on P2s (it was there on the older stuff!) was a bad idea. I was pleased when Volvo switched to an electric handbrake - far less hassle!

I don't buy into the "must be genuine" approach. If you're willing to do some research, you can often find non-genuine parts of equal quality, and in some cases it's exactly the same item with the Volvo PN ground off. Of course it also depends on what value you put on your time.

I would happily fit a major aftermarket supplier's brake parts to any of my cars, assuming there's a reasonable saving to be made. As you say, there is nothing wrong with components from Ferrodo, Brembo, etc.

There are a number of variables involved, and I suspect that the weight of the thing and the slushbox are likely to be two big factors. Then you have the 'feel' issues (cylinder size ratios, etc). I very much doubt that the cars are actually under-braked, but pedal feel might be poor. Similarly, I doubt that changing from a quality aftermarket brand's components to genuine would be transformational unless the current pads are glazed.

Oh, and keep it cordial, all, please.

cheers

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Old Jun 6th, 2021, 23:08   #28
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I’ve got Volvo Pads and Disks on the front, Brembo Disc and Pads on the rear. They’ve been on the same length of time with even wear and fairly decent performance. I drive a 3t van 90% of my driving year, comparing the two, the XC90 is certainly less of a bite, but pulls up nicely if required. I’d say the feel in the brakes is a bit disconnected, but that goes in hand with it been a early 2000’s Land Yacht, it’s no Sports car 😂
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Old Jun 7th, 2021, 10:24   #29
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Quote:
Originally Posted by XC90Mk1 View Post
I have a 2012 XC90. I fitted new discs and pads all round with new fluid in 2018 and now fitted new new front discs and pads. Stops on a six pence and huge power.

There is something wrong.
I concur.
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Old Jun 7th, 2021, 12:25   #30
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ltec View Post
Hi all, I'm a new xc90 owner. Or new to me anyway. 2009 automatic.
When braking her the brakes seem poor, or compared to a car anyway. Takes a fair bit of pressure before she starts to slow down.
Is this normal coz she's so heavy or should I be looking into it. She's not long serviced and brakes all look fresh.
I've not read any of the reply's but I note you are in Cookstown. If you look at the previous MOT cert you will see the brake readings on the bottom left (I think - don't have one to hand) The service brake efficiency needs to be over 50% to pass but it should be close to 80%, anything lower than 70% wouldn't be acceptable to me and would need addressing, a car at 50% is scary to drive!

Efficiently is a calculation between vehicle weight and braking force, so every car should be capable of high 70's early 80's percent.

If you find they are outside that range pm me a pic of the MOT cert and I'll do my best to advice where to look. I'm also Based in Bangor if you want someone to have a look over the brake system.

Andy
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