It seems related to the front brakes or suspension and possibly wet weather. A sharp brake going forwards results in a metal on metal sound with every cycle of the wheel, although braking doesn't seem to be affected, although it doesn't inspire confidence in using them. By rolling backwards and pumping the brake the problem goes away until I sharp brake forward again. Seems to be getting worse.

It drove fine the day before, started up the next day and there it was. It had rained overnight and the previous day, and there are many potholes around here if they could be related.

After 'fixing' it by rolling backwards, it drove fine yesterday (in dry weather), but when I went out again at night (in wet weather) it started again, after sharpish braking.

Could it be water or brake fluid related? Or maybe suspension? There are no external signs of anything unusual, such as leakages or anything hanging off or stuck in somewhere.

I've just seen that there is a comment on the test report that the brake hose front left and right has some minor deterioration, could that be it?

Thanks in advance for any pointers.

 

Does it stay after braking a few times? My car does that some times in wet weather. The rotors get a layer of rust (not really rust more like oxidation) on them and the first few times I brake it makes a slight noise as it eats through that stuff. Wouldn't hurt to pull the pads and check them for wear just to make sure there isn't an issue with them.

 

Thanks, it does stay after a few times, but I haven't tested that too much as it's a more painful sound than a slight noise - more of a grinding, the-whole-front-end-of-the-car-is gonna-drop-off' type sound...weird thing is how it goes away with the reverse braking trick.
But yes, I guess the best thing is to check the pads, and someone else mentioned it could even be a stone jammed in the caliper

 

I got it fixed. The screw holding the caliper on had dropped out. And the other side wasn't tight either. Incredible that the previous owner could forget to tighten both sides properly.

Thanks for the help rhodes.