Do the rotors need to be replaced when changing the brake pads on a Volvo V70 2001? The dealer says yes, but an independant says only if needed. What’s the truth?
They’re both right.
Almost all shops will replace the rotors when they replace the pads. That gives the new pads a good surface, eliminates the possibility that the old rotors may have been not stopping smoothaly and the car’s owner simply didn’t mention it, and provides a known good heat idssipation. In short, it ensures customer satisfaction and prevents losses due to having to redo the work. In the old days shops used to “turn” (resurface on a lathe) the rotors, but most rotors today don’t have enough “meat” to do that.
An independent CAN check the rotors for warpage, check the surfaces for scoring or glazing, and if they’re in good shape just replace the pads and seat them to the existing surfaces. Most won’t, for the same reasons stated above. I used to do that on my own vehicles with no problem…before arthritis made doing my own brakes impossible.