Squeaking. I managed to dodge the infamous acceleration issue, but I have another issue it seems.
Here’s a description of the issue so far (please feel free to ask any clarifying questions):
-The car makes a rather loud, squeaking, grinding sound when reversing.
-It makes a high pitched, quieter, squeaking noise when moving forward. It doesn’t change when I accelerate but it cuts off completely when I apply the break.
-The car makes a weird groaning, grinding, squeaking sound when turning. It does this more so when turning the wheel to the right than to the left.
-I haven’t noticed any change in performance at all.
So I have a couple of questions!
-What do you think that it is?
-Is it safe to drive to the repair shop?
-How much should it cost me given your estimate on what it is?
Thanks so much for your time and assistance.
Your brake pads are worn out.
The “high pitched, quieter, squeaking noise when moving forward” and the “rather loud, squeaking, grinding sound when reversing” are coming from the brake wear indicators in the brake pads. This should be a very high priority for you, as delaying brake pad replacement will damage the brake rotors and could result in loss of braking ability. The car is safe to drive to the repair shop, but I would advise not driving anywhere else except to the repair shop.
The “weird groaning, grinding, squeaking sound when turning” is likely to be the result of a worn-out CV joint in one of the front axles. If it turns out that one is worn, have them both replaced, as the other one is likely to follow the first one to the grave in short order.
The cost for your brake repairs is really a non-issue, because the only alternative is to park the car and not drive it. But, if you need to know the cost, since we don’t know whether you need brakes on both the front and rear wheels, we don’t know whether the brake rotors need to be replaced, and we don’t know where you live–the cost could vary anywhere from…perhaps $200. to $600. Add in several hundred for axle replacements if you do need new CV joints.
Your brake pad wear warning thing’ys are doing their job. Time for a set of new pads and likely new rotors. If you have been hearing the noise for a week or so, new rotors are more likely. If it just started yesterday the rotors might not be too gorged out yet.
Generally the longer you wait the higher the bill because you’ll need more parts. It is safe to drive to repair shop. Estimate is $100 X # of wheels that need work. If it just the front brakes figure $200.00 very roughly.