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Repair shop Q 850

posted by  someone claiming to be NJA on  Wed Apr 26 14:02 CST 2006 [RELATED]

OK, I've only lived in Tampa about a year and a half, and my 94 855T has been running great. So, I haven't had to really acquaint myself with a good mechanic. I have taken my car to the local dealership for one "simple" repair, and they did some work, and when I questioned whether some of it had to be done, I know for a fact that they flat out lied to me when explaining why it was done (they said temp guage was "pegged"....and I was watching it like a freakin hawk, and it was right in the sweet spot). Soo, with no independent mechanic I know, when my rear brakes started vibrating, (I'm embarrassed to say this...) I took it to a Midas.

So, the yokel tells me that I just need new pads and that the rotors can be "resurfaced" and all would be well. I was ready to put on new rotors, but he told me it was unneccessary. He also told me that he recommended their ceramic pads, b/c "volvo uses them and they'll squeal less". Well, I know that Volvo pads are not ceramics and are dusty as hell, but I figured I'd go w/ the guy's recommendation...he's the "expert", right?

Long story short, vibration is not any better, only getting worse. I took it back once, and he said he didn't have the time to look at it and to come back another time. I went back last Saturday, and said, "dude, I'm taking you for a ride..." He gets in, I get it up to about 50 and hit the brakes, and he feels the vibration, and initially tries to say it's coming from the front brakes, but after it's freaking obvious it's from the rear, he tells me to bring it back again this Saturday so they can "look at it". Oh, and these ceramic pads squeal so bad, I feel like I'm in a ghetto cruiser. And, I drive about 70mph on the highway to/from work every day, and the vibration is so bad, it's not just "annoying", it's dangerous.

So, my question(s):

what should I do? The $ I paid for the "resurfacing" was wasted. The ceramic pads were not only "what volvo uses" (correct me if I'm wrong) but they squeal like a banshee. I don't want them on my car. What should I do? Just ask for a complete refund? Is there any chance in heck they'll give it to me? I don't want these guys touching my car anymore...I'll find an import mechanic somewhere in town...but I have some of Midas' parts on my car...

Advice, please, my BB friends...

Thx,

Nick








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    Repair shop Q 850

    posted by  KlausC on  Wed Apr 26 17:23 CST 2006
    Author: [PROFILE] [EVERY POST] [THREADS] [BEST POSTS] RSS Feed     [IGNORE ALL POSTS]
    last visit: Fri Oct 24 10:15 CST 2014
    [RELATED]

    There are some good Volvo shops in tampa, you just didn't get lucky. Keep looking for a good indy shop that has some older 240's in the lot.
    Brakes are very easy to do yourself, but if you don't have the tools or the ambition to save a few hundred bucks, rely on a master mechanic.
    Never go to a "chain" to have your car worked on. They don't care if you ever come back. If you do, all they will do is ask for more money.
    I have spent years in the Twin cities looking for "good" volvo shops, I found 3 so far. Unfortunately, I also found 6 that did crummy work and charged too much. I now do my own brakes, oil changes, and other misc stuff. The ASE master mechanic gets to do all of the hard stuff and I gladly pay him for it.

    Klaus
    --
    (V♂LV♂s 1975 164, 1995 854T, 1998 V70R)








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    Repair shop Q 850

    posted by  Rule 308 on  Wed Apr 26 14:30 CST 2006
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    last visit: Tue May 8 09:20 CST 2012
    [RELATED]

    Yup, you just got hosed. I see this story unfold with regularity in my shop. Good luck getting anything that resembles a refund out of those jokers. I see people who regularily bite the bullet and pay me to redo their brakes and stand behind them. Not that I do not have the once in awhile squeaky brake job, it happens, but it is how you take care of it that really matters. For the record, I run factory Volvo pads and ATE rotors. My vendors are always trying to sell me knock off or even OEM pads and other components but for me it is just not worth the cost of loosing one customer like you to make a few more bucks on a part. My number one vendor who stocks lots of factory parts does not even bother stocking factory engine and transmission oil seals. There is not that great of a savings on seals but if I have to go back in and pull apart an engine or trans because I made a couple of bucks more on a wild cat part I am gonna be pissed. This is where you actually save money by going to a factory trained independent tech. He would've hung factory pads with the correct draw bridge shims and factory anti squeal grease and let you know that machining those rotors is going to do nothing but make them thinner and more prone to heat distortion. Sorry to hear you got hosed, take the hit and move on.

    Mark







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