I have a 2005 Pontiac Vibe with almost 50,000 miles. Lately it’s been making a very small noise that seems to be located at the lower part of the car just in front of the driver…I will have difficultly describing it, but it’s sort of like huhmmm. It was only happening every once in a while, but is now more frequent. If I had my radio on, I would not hear it as it is not particularly loud. It happens when I driving…ie foot on gas… but not necessarily when I speed up or slow down. I am going to have to make a trip across country in the very near future and am wondering if I am wise to keep this car, try to find out what this is with a local mechanic and flush all the systems just to renew it’s life. Or, should I consider trading it in on a new car. I am 70 years old and a single lady. I am moving from NC to AZ, re the trip across country.
I would not flush anything except the brakes and then only if needed. Your vehicle has a recommended periodic maintenance schedule usually located in the owners manual or as a supplement to the owners manual. If you have been following this schedule, you should not need very much service on this vehicle.
The noise could simply be the tires. Some tires make a humming noise. It would not be a bad idea though to have a trustworthy mechanic look over the car before the trip and to drive the car to listen for any unusual sounds. If you get your oil changed at a real mechanics shop instead of one of those quick oil change places, they will check all your fluids as part of the service.
The thing that is most likely to give you trouble on a trip like this is the tires. The sustained highway speeds cause the tires to run hotter than normal. If your tires are in good shape, I would recommend that you increase the cold inflation pressure to about 3 psi higher than recommended. This will help the tires run cooler during the trip. Don’t exceed 36 psi cold though.
Personally, with a car like yours, I wouldn’t hesitate to jump in and make the trip, just check the tires before you leave.