I have a 2007 Honda Fit Sport and there’s an increasingly noticeable squealing coming from the wheels (mostly the front, but I could be wrong). It happens with the break off and on.
I have a GREAT mechanic but I’ve taken the car in for diagnosis TWICE and both times he said that nothing could be found!
Fair enough, maybe it’s nothing…except that I remember precisely this same problem with an old Geo Metro I owned and that turned out to be the rotors (I won’t pretend to know what those are).
So if it’s not a brake problem, as my mechanic suggests, could it be the rotors? And if so, isn’t this something a mechanic would check when metal-on-metal “squealing” is the issue?
Otherwise what could it be?
Any advice would be hugely appreciated.
Rotors are actually a part of the brakes, so if mechanic thinks it’s not brakes it would rule those out.
the rotors are a part of the brakes.
If its not the squeal tab on the brake pads, it could be the dust shield. Sometimes they get slightly bent and touch the rotor which makes a squealing noise when you drive. Have your mechanic check that.
Dust shield…that’s a good suggestion. It’s just that I would have thought my mechanic would have checked all this out…especially when I brought the car BACK to him a second time for the same problem.
Maybe I’ll squeeze in this suggestion with my next oil change…
Under what conditions does the squealing happen?
You seem to be assuming that mechanics are awesomely intelligent experts who can diagnose a problem just by looking at the car for awhile. Some are, but most aren’t, and some are downright lousy. Especially nowadays when mechanics are becoming more and more used to asking the car’s computer what’s wrong rather than getting under the hood and finding it for themselves. Mechanics who rely too much on computer diagnostics tend to forget (or never learn) how to troubleshoot manually. And since things like dust shields are not one of the many systems covered by the computer’s diagnostics, it’s not unusual for them to fail to find it.
Not at all, I’m perfectly aware that some issues take time to find…which is why I took the car back for a second look.
Actually my mechanic is an old salt who inherited the business from his Dad…the place has been going for like 50 years. That’s why I’m so puzzled that he didn’t manage to find anything…not even ideas for a follow-up diagnosis.
All the time.
Could it just be something a simple as rusty disc brakes? I’ve noticed that the discs are quite exposed to the elements…maybe there’s some product you just spray on it to reduce noise/wear?
Chech the wheel bearings. What mileage is on it?
There MAY be too much outer rotor edge rust build up causing a continous squeal.
I wouldn’t recommend spraying anything on the rotors until you locate the real source or the noise.
Mileage is low…under 24k. I’d LOVE to locate the source of the noise…and would do it myself if I had a car lift.
Anyway I was hoping to find some suggestions here that I could pass on to my mechanic…for the 3rd visit!