0

When I drive my Toyota Corolla 1999 (Compact) down the road, I can hear this screeching noise coming somewhere from the front-left wheel. I recorded what that noise sounds like with my phone. You can hear it here:

https://clyp.it/h1s2pmzi?token=d1f93c6af481c477f97375d7d5c7362f

In this audio clip, I drive with my drivers-side window open with a wall on the other side (To reflect the sound, so you can hear it better)

I am also sure that this is nothing related to the engine since I have killed the ignition to stop the engine while rolling (With open clutch), and the sound is still there.

This sound can be best heard at around 20-60 Km/h (12-37 mph). The sound starts to fade away when I reach 70 Km/h (43 mph), and is completely gone at 80 Km/h (50 mph)

The sound recording is recorded with a speed of around 40 Km/h (25 mph).

My Immediate suspicion is that there is a bad wheel bearing on the front-left wheel, but since I barely know how to change a light-bulb in my car (I'm not a car guy), I can't say for sure. What I would like to know is, based on the sound you hear: Is it a bad wheel bearing? or could it be something completely different? And would it be a difficult problem (In other words: expensive) problem to fix?

Improve this question
1
  • 2
    I didn't hear any "screeching". It is hard to tell from the sound clip what it is we are listening to. Therefore, we are unable to tell you what is causing the noise you hear. It could be anything; brakes, bearings, suspension, etc. If you are barley able to change a light bulb, the last thing you want is an Internet site diagnosing your car sight unseen. I would suggest you take it to a shop to be inspected. If you have specific questions about what they tell you, we might be able to help with that.
    – CharlieRB
    Commented Jun 20, 2017 at 11:53

1 Answer 1

Reset to default
1

Hard to tell from the recording, as we don't have a 'before' to compare to. However; from your description, I'd say that it's a quite likely contender.

As you won't be doing the work on the car anyway, take it to a reputable garage for an estimate; they'll tell you exactly what it is, and you can always turn down their offer. Get estimates from three garages, and take the one that you feel will do the best job; one should be a Toyota dealer, as they're not always the most expensive.

If it's the wheel bearing, expect a bill in mid-lower hundreds.

Improve this answer

You must log in to answer this question.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged .