Hello fellow cussers and discussers!
I’ve had my 99 Accord for about 6 months now and its done well for me overall. It has 128k now.
However the front end is becoming increasingly noisy.
When traveling it highway speeds, it sounds like someone is playing congas when I go over bumps in the road. If there are multiple bumps, for example on a freeway overpass or bridge, well it sounds like a solo by Poncho Sanchez himself.
If i’m driving over relatively coarse pavement (i.e. needs to be paved, bad) then it sounds like whales singing.
Now the car handles well and there are no unusual vibrations to go with these sounds.
So I just need to know if this noise is anything to be alarmed about. Its nothing I can’t live with, but Im a broke college student and I need to really anticipate my car expenses ahead of time, especially looming repairs.
Please and thanks!
jmw
Could this just be tire noise? As tires wear they usually make more noise, and as they approach the end of their tread life they can get REALLY noisy. Honda vehicles tend to convey more of this noise into the passenger compartment than some other makes.
My Accord will need tires in a few months, and the constant noise from the worn tires is making it unpleasant to drive, especially on rough pavement.
You could have the suspension components inspected. A bad bushing somewhere could be making noise, but the sounds you describe are hard to associate with something mechanical.
Hi MC! The tires have just under half their useful life left in them. The fronts have more tread and they are some off-brand while the rears are Kuhmos and more worn out. I heard that cheap-o tires make lots of noise compared to Michelins, GYs, etc.
That may be true, but even high-quality tires can get pretty noisy as the tread wears down.
On a 10 year old FWD car it could be any of a list of possibilities. Does the noise change when going around corners?
nope!
Then I’m going to suggest you have a reputable chassis shop look at it. Find a hop that will take you in with the car on the rack and show you what they found. Ask ahead if they’ll do that.
Diagnosis will probbably run about $100 and you can post the list here. Be honest with them up front and tell them that you can’t afford a shop and hope to do the work yourself and be appreciative of their diagnostic time and skills.