Hello, All,

I'm not a do-it-yourself type, but I need some understanding (or ammo) for dealing with the shop.

I'm experiencing intermittent squeaking coming from the wheels. First it seemed to come only from the passenger side. I took it to the shop complaining of this noise and also general squealing of the brakes when applied. They said they "treated" the brakes and now it seems to come from both sides. Yes, the brakes squeak (still do), but this sound is occurring when the vehicle is in motion when the brakes are not applied.

I know intermittent noises are difficult to troubleshoot. This is what I know:

• - Does not occur when the vehicle is not moving. I don't believe the noise is coming from the engine compartment.
• - Once in very slow moving traffic, the noise slowed to squeak-squeak-squeak, leading me to believe this is coming from a wheel.
• - Does not occur when the brakes are applied, even stops for a while after having applied the brakes.
• - Turning the steering wheel does not change the noise when it's occurring, does not appear to cause it, either.
• - Not experiencing any kind of vibrations, the ride is still ridiculously smooth.

Any ideas?

Thanks much.

 

If you look at your front suspension you will find rubber bushings everywhere. At least once a year I liberally spray them with silicone spray (not WD-40 or oil-based lube) and it seems to keep the squeaking to a minimum. That's my suggestion for your first, cheapest fix.

 

^^^
this is what I was thinking when I first read the description of your problem.

then I thought maybe wheel bearings.

try spraying/inspecting the bushings first. search on here for "DIY: B5 control arms" one of our members just made an awesome DIY for the control arms. I'm not saying that so you can tackle the job, but his pictures have labels that will tell you what all the suspension parts are called. his car is a b5 a4 but the suspension is pretty much identical.

good luck