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Before going off to college, I had my car carefully inspected by a trusted mechanic whom I asked to inform me of any major problems. That is to say, the car has none now.
However, I just noticed (don't ask how I didn't notice before) that whenever I turn at a low speed, such as maneuvering in parking lots, there is a bit of squealing. Everything works perfectly, and the squealing isn't hideously loud-- it's just loud enough.
What might cause this, and how can I fix it?
Is the noise coming from the steering itself, or from the tyres? i.e does it make the noise as you are turning the steering wheel, or does it still do it as you hold the wheel steady during the turn? If it is the latter (the "hollywood tyre squeal" effect), that is quite common, particularly on the smooth concrete you tend to find in multi-story car parks.
If it only occurs as you are physically turning the wheel, i would suspect an issue with your power steering - have you checked the fluid level recently?
Following up on Nick's answer, you can confirm whether you're hearing tire noise or power steering pump noise in a couple of easy steps:
Try making a hard turn of the wheel at almost no speed at all. For example, when backing out of a garage (don't hit the wall). If the tires are barely turning, any squeal at that point is much more likely to be a pump problem.
Try some turns in the environment where you think you can make the squeal happen. Now try some nearly identical turns to the left and to the right. If you notice a difference in the sound, it's more likely a tire noise than a pump noise. Likewise, if you try the same turns on different pavement and hear something different, you are likely noticing tire noise than pump noise.
I have had this problem with my old Mazda 626. Usually occurred in roundabouts or slow speed driving in parking lots. In my case it was the driving knots + something else in the steering that needed to be greased up. I even changed them completely since they where old and worn out.
Check the belt. On my 87 Mazda pickup the power steering belt is loose and it makes that sort of sound in exactly that same slow speed turning situation.
This is almost certainly a case of a loose PS Belt and a simple repair on most vehicles. It's usually a matter of loosening a couple of Bolts and using a pry bar to provide leverage at some point and then tightening the bolts that would have been loosened previously to free up the Belt. Sorry about the crappy instructions but I am sure you will figure it out if you have a modicum of mechanical ability. I do often assume too much in my instructions and I do apologise for that. Get a friend to help you that kind of knows what I mean. Good Luck!
