You tell the mechanic at the shop the noise I'm hearing is on the right side of the car. He tells you we'll have a look at it. Then you're stumped. Why won't he agree with you? Because, it is what it is.
Here are some things you need to understand about cars. Inside the car sounds bounce around on the glass. The angle it's coming from could be off as much as 180 degrees. Listen and look for sounds either outside the car or with the windows rolled down.
If you hear a strange persistent noise don't ignore it. Look for what is causing it yourself or have a mechanic look for it. It may cost you some time and money but it is better to be safe than sorry.
Here is an example of that. Before the winter set in I changed the brake pads on our car. I thought what I determined was a "rubbing" sound inside the car was because I didn't turn the rotors. Boy was I off base. I figured the sound would go away when they got worn in a little. It sounded like it was on the driver's side. I kept looking close at the driver's side. Everything seemed OK. Apparently I fitted the wheel on the passenger side incorrectly. It fell off finally.
A parking lot attendant was driving it at the time. It scared the hell out of the kid. He ran as fast as he could. I'm glad he didn't get hurt. I warned him to take it easy though. I am also glad that wheel didn't come off at high speed on the expressway. It would have ended in tragedy. It is possible that by not rotating the tires at regular intervals the studs became fractured when I removed the wheels. It is difficult to determine a root cause. Whether it was that or fitting the heavy aluminum rim properly I won't ever know.
One way or another I had to fix my car yesterday and I got a pretty decent video of the repair job. Which I felt all of us geeks could benefit from. Especially those gear heads (who cannot get enough car info). Here is a link Rich M Doing Things Carfix
Here are some things you need to understand about cars. Inside the car sounds bounce around on the glass. The angle it's coming from could be off as much as 180 degrees. Listen and look for sounds either outside the car or with the windows rolled down.
If you hear a strange persistent noise don't ignore it. Look for what is causing it yourself or have a mechanic look for it. It may cost you some time and money but it is better to be safe than sorry.Here is an example of that. Before the winter set in I changed the brake pads on our car. I thought what I determined was a "rubbing" sound inside the car was because I didn't turn the rotors. Boy was I off base. I figured the sound would go away when they got worn in a little. It sounded like it was on the driver's side. I kept looking close at the driver's side. Everything seemed OK. Apparently I fitted the wheel on the passenger side incorrectly. It fell off finally.
A parking lot attendant was driving it at the time. It scared the hell out of the kid. He ran as fast as he could. I'm glad he didn't get hurt. I warned him to take it easy though. I am also glad that wheel didn't come off at high speed on the expressway. It would have ended in tragedy. It is possible that by not rotating the tires at regular intervals the studs became fractured when I removed the wheels. It is difficult to determine a root cause. Whether it was that or fitting the heavy aluminum rim properly I won't ever know.
One way or another I had to fix my car yesterday and I got a pretty decent video of the repair job. Which I felt all of us geeks could benefit from. Especially those gear heads (who cannot get enough car info). Here is a link Rich M Doing Things Carfix
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