Consumer Reports Reveals What Your Car is Telling You When it Whines, Creaks, or Squeals

YONKERS, N.Y., Feb. 3, 2010; When your car thumps, pings, and hisses it's hard to tell if you should take your car to the mechanic or not, so Consumer Reports has identified what noises drivers should turn down the radio for.

The full report appears in the March issue of Consumer Reports, available wherever magazines are sold. The reports are also available to subscribers of www.ConsumerReports.org. Updated daily, ConsumerReports.org is the go-to site for the latest auto reviews, product news, and blogs on breaking news and car buying information.

When you hear a noise that's unusual -- a whine, a creak, or a squeal, for example -- consider it an alert that something has changed. By paying attention to those sounds, you can often catch a minor problem before it becomes a major one. Here's what to listen for:

  --  Squealing brakes. If you hear squealing only during braking,
      especially light braking, it's probably caused by a vibration at the
      brake pads. Squealing doesn't affect your braking performance and,
      while it's annoying, it is usually nothing to worry about and can
      happen even with new pads. If you hear a similar high-pitched squeal
      from the brakes while the car is moving but it stops when you step on
      the brake pedal, it can be a sign that your brake pads have worn down
      and need changing soon.

What to do. Have a mechanic inspect the brakes. In the case of the squeal during braking, he may be able to apply a lubricant to quiet the vibration.

  --  Squeals under the hood. If you hear this while revving the engine or
      when first starting it while cold, the noise is often due to a
      slipping drive belt. The belt could need adjusting or it could be
      glazed (the sides look shiny), which means it requires replacement.

What to do. Have a mechanic look over the drive belts and replace them if necessary.

  --  Light rattling in the engine. This might be pinging, which can sound
      like tiny marbles bouncing around inside the engine, and usually
      occurs while accelerating or climbing hills. It's often due to using
      gas with too low an octane rating and can begin occurring in older
      engines because of carbon buildup. Severe pinging can damage the
      engine.

What to do. Check your coolant temperature gauge. If the temperature is normal, try using premium gasoline. If that doesn't correct the pinging, have the car checked by a mechanic.

  --  Rhythmic thumping. If the noise increases and decreases with the speed
      of the car, it's probably a tire problem, such as torn rubber in the
      tread, a bubble in the sidewall, or a flat spot.

What to do. Have the tires inspected as soon as possible. Torn rubber or a bubble could lead to a blowout, so get new tires. A flat spot is annoying but not serious.

  --  Hissing beneath the hood. It's most likely a vacuum leak, caused by a
      cracked or disconnected vacuum hose. Your engine could also be running
      or idling rough and the "check engine" light could be on.

What to do. If it's a disconnected hose, you may be able to reconnect it yourself. Or take the car to a mechanic.

  --  Grinding sound from brakes.  This means you've waited too long to
      replace your brake pads, your car is unsafe to drive, and your repair
      bill has just jumped to another level. The brake pads have worn
      completely through and are grinding against the brake rotor, which
      probably also needs to be replaced.
  What to do. Stop driving and have the car towed to a mechanic.

  MARCH 2010

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