Hello everyone. I have a 1986 Volvo automatic 240 DL sedan with aroun
190,000 miles on it.  About 3 weeks ago I took the car to my sho
because it was leaking brake fluid and the pedal was getting softer an
softer.  They found a broken brake line as the cause and successfull
repaired it. They did not mention any other braking issues.  Now toda
while I was driving on the expressway, I hit a small piece of meta
debris at 65 mph with my right rear tire causing an immediate an
severe blowout. (luckily I kept good control and no crash or othe
damage occured, but i was unable to locate and inspect the piece o
debris i struck, as the tire explosion probably sent the debris flyin
into the grass.) When the government tow truck showed up (The state o
Illinois has a free motorist assist program for cars on the expresswa
in Chicago with minor problems. The program is free and the drivers ar
employed directly by the state, therefore they have absolutely no reaso
to lie about needed repairs.) and he took the bad tire off (after som
major difficulty with a rusted log nut) to put the spare on, he becam
very suprised and said that my brake pads were horribly worn.  When
asked him if he had ever seen worse, he said yes, but not many.  Now
have no knowledge of how the volvo brake pads normally look, so I too
his word for it and promised to have the pads inspected.  He als
remarked that the rotar appeared very worn ("like a CD"?)  and neede
replacement, and he even said the calipers were in poor shape. He als
said I could slam on the brakes one day and the caliper would brake of
and I could have an accident.  I tried to tell him repeatedly that
just had a brake repair and that the shop said nothing.  I also tol
him that since the repair, i have noticed no braking problem
whatsoever, but he didn't seem to believe me.  He really scared me, s
after he changed the tire, I took the car to a Different repair shop
to get the destroyed tire replaced, and while there I also asked the
to specifically look at the braking system of that tire, esp the brak
pads.  After they finished, to my suprise, they told me the brake pad
and other braking components on the entire car look to be OK and do no
need to be replaced right now.  Additionally, while the screw spindle
and the part where the tire sits are somewhat rusty looking, I hav
always had brake work done as needed and have not noticed any problem
(ie squeeky or spongy) other then the brake line repair. [maintenanc
within the prior four years (time since i acquired the car) include
new master cylinder, new pads, new calipers, ground rotars, all ne
brake lines, and other misc brake items]  My questions are who do yo
think is right?  Could the government tow driver simply be unfamilia
with the appearance of older volvo brake pads and other parts, an
mistaken that for worn parts?  In other words, does the older 240 tak
a smaller or otherwise different looking brake pad then typica
domestic cars??  Or could both shops be wrong and the tow drive
correct? What would you do in this case?  Thank you for any help o
insight

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wirry142