Grabbiness is gone: New Front Rotors on my 945TG

Over the past year I noticed the front brakes on my 945TG grabbing more than
in the past, making the front dip noticeably. I noticed they were quite worn
(about 1/8" trench on both sides of each rotor) so replaced them with new
rotors.

What a difference it made! Braking seems smoother and most importantly the
"grabbiness" is gone and braking seems a bit more controlled.

So ~160K miles is not bad for the original rotors, although next time I
think I'll replace them a bit sooner since they were getting quite thin. No
real problems with the job - it took ~45 mins, including cleaning off the
hubs and ABS sensor areas.

Following suggestions found online, I lightly tapped the caliper bolts a few
times with a small hammer beforehand and, althought tight, they can out
relatively easily. When reassembing it all, I used new caliper bolts, and
put a _very_ thin coat of brake grease on the inner part of the rotor where
it contacts the hub, to prevent rust and make getting it off easier next
time.

NCMan

 

Glad to hear your rotors have lasted that long... We've got 165K Kms on our
original rotors on our 1993 960... and they're doing fine, none of the
grabiness you experience (tho you had many MANY extra kilometers on
yours)... and least for now.

How many sets of pads have you gone through? We're on set #2, first changed
at 108K Kms - all 4 corners.

 

In general I change the front pads every spring, and the rears every other
spring on all of our vehicles, in addition to new coolant, tranny fluids,
diff fluids, etc. The brake pads usually have a bit of brake material
remaninig on them and could last longer, but pads are cheap, and I like
tinkering.

I also never have disk rotors turned, they either work as is or get
replaced.

Interestingly, the original caliper dust boots are still pliable and not
cracked.

NCMan

 

"Interestingly, the original caliper dust boots are still pliable and not
cracked."

Volvo OEM part quality!... We've never had a mechanical problem with the
calipers either, a seal in the rear caliper did leak 2 years ago tho...
Other then that nadda. The Volvo pads last a very long time, no need to
change them every year, really. But if you like tinkering then sure, may as
well .

 

I replace pads when they start to squeek from the wear indicators, no sense
in replacing them sooner unless you know they're about gone and the weather
is getting cold.