Greetings everyone,

I've taken my car to two mechanics and no one can diagnose this problem. I get this horrible squeaking/groaning/scraping sound from the vicinity of the front driver's side wheel. It has been an intermittent problem for some time but has gotten worse. It is much louder and more persistent in wet weather.

The sound is most obvious at low speeds. It is not cyclic. It occurs in several ways: wiggling the steering wheel slightly in either direction; going over bumps; slowing down to a stop; accelerating from a stop.

One problem of diagnosis is that as soon as the car is up on a hoist, the noise goes away and stays away for up to a week before reappearing. I haven't taken it to the local dealership yet because I've had some issues with them but I will go there as a last resort. First I want to see if anyone has any ideas. Internet searches have turned up wheel bearing, U-joint, or ball joint as possible causes. I already had a loose ball joint replaced and it did not affect the sound.

I'm not looking to do the repair myself. I just want a better idea of what I'm dealing with before I take it in again.

 

This one sounds a little tricky especially if the mechanics can't find it. I had a similar problem which was attributed to bad front wheel bearings. It just didn't seem as severe as your situation. And the mechanics found it without me even bringing it up. Good luck

 

I took it by another mechanic. He listened by the wheel while I pushed on the corner of the hood. He said it sounds like a dry ball joint or tie rod socket. He recommended I put a little hole in the boot and fire some lube in there. I recall reading the same recommendation in some of my searches, so maybe it will work and I can pass this info on to others who are having the same problem.