Squeaky car parts: what do you do about them, and when?
October 20, 2014 9:53 AM Subscribe
I love my car. My car is in decent shape for being almost 5 years old and for just hitting the 100,000 mile mark, has never been in a wreck, oil is changed mostly on time. It's a good car. And I have a solo road trip coming up in a few days. Do I really need to get these repairs done now, or can they wait?
The issues are like this:
a) My brakes are occasionally squeaky when I come to a stop. It's not really loud, but it's noticeable. It's been like this for a few months now, and only a slight increase in frequency/intensity of squeak.
b) There's a tightness and a squeak to my steering wheel first thing in the morning when I start my car. That belt has been replaced within the last year or so, and I have no problems with my steering in general. But still: squeak.
c) I'm coming up on a 100,000 mile maintenance visit that will be a doozy. My mechanics, who are great and trustworthy, have assured me that it can wait a few thousand more miles (so, 104,000) while I save the money to have the work done.
So what must I take care of before I embark on this trip (~700 miles total)? The repairs are a significant expense, and I'd have to take time off work, so I'm reluctant to do anything that isn't absolutely necessary at this point. But I also don't want to lose control of my brakes (for example) when I'm far from home. What would you do in my position?
The issues are like this:
a) My brakes are occasionally squeaky when I come to a stop. It's not really loud, but it's noticeable. It's been like this for a few months now, and only a slight increase in frequency/intensity of squeak.
b) There's a tightness and a squeak to my steering wheel first thing in the morning when I start my car. That belt has been replaced within the last year or so, and I have no problems with my steering in general. But still: squeak.
c) I'm coming up on a 100,000 mile maintenance visit that will be a doozy. My mechanics, who are great and trustworthy, have assured me that it can wait a few thousand more miles (so, 104,000) while I save the money to have the work done.
So what must I take care of before I embark on this trip (~700 miles total)? The repairs are a significant expense, and I'd have to take time off work, so I'm reluctant to do anything that isn't absolutely necessary at this point. But I also don't want to lose control of my brakes (for example) when I'm far from home. What would you do in my position?
Take it to your great and trustworthy mechanics and have them take off the wheels to look at your brakes. (Or do it yourself if you have a jack, although if you asked this question I'm not sure you'd know what to look for.) Should take them less than 20 minutes and you will have a definitive answer from someone who has looked at your brakes and not just people on the internet.
The other stuff - well, if I were driving through eastern Montana, then yeah, I'd definitely have everything done. Or if I were driving through cold or snow or desert. Or if I were transporting kids. If I was driving down the east coast or through other heavily traveled areas, I personally wouldn't worry about the maintenance visit and probably not the steering wheel. I would make sure I had AAA or other roadside service.
posted by desjardins at 10:12 AM on October 20, 2014 [1 favorite]
The other stuff - well, if I were driving through eastern Montana, then yeah, I'd definitely have everything done. Or if I were driving through cold or snow or desert. Or if I were transporting kids. If I was driving down the east coast or through other heavily traveled areas, I personally wouldn't worry about the maintenance visit and probably not the steering wheel. I would make sure I had AAA or other roadside service.
posted by desjardins at 10:12 AM on October 20, 2014 [1 favorite]
a) My brakes are occasionally squeaky when I come to a stop. It's not really loud, but it's noticeable. It's been like this for a few months now, and only a slight increase in frequency/intensity of squeak.
this is likely the wear indicator on your brake pads. Brake pads are supposed to wear out and be replaced, they are like tires or batteries. If you don't replace them the parts that is 'soft' and wears out is gone completely and the metal backing plate the pads are fixed to starts rubbing on your brake rotors (the shiny plate looking thing you see inside wheels) and this will RUIN THEM. what is a cheap easy repair (under 100) turns into a big stinking deal (lots of 100's). ALSO AND MORE IMPORTANTLY: once the 'soft' part is gone and you get metal on metal contact your brakes don't work right and your car won't stop nearly as fast as it should. This is the kind of thing that kills you or someone else. Get this fixed. You don't screw around with brakes.
b) There's a tightness and a squeak to my steering wheel first thing in the morning when I start my car. That belt has been replaced within the last year or so, and I have no problems with my steering in general. But still: squeak.
This is not likely to be pump/belt issue, this is probably some rubber part in the suspension/steering linkage (usually called a 'bushing') that is worn out and/or dry. Probably not a huge problem, but should be fixed. As long as your steering wheel doesn't have any looseness (you can turn the steering wheel more that a couple of degrees and the car doesn't change directions) or notchiness (if feels like you steering has detents in as your turn) this can wait until you get your overall 100,000 mile checkup. These bushings are also wear items and I would be extremely surprised if some weren't worn out at 100,000 miles. Easy thing to check is the power steering fluid, your owners manual will tell you how to check it. Also see my last line in A, steering is pretty damn important and broken steering kills you/someone else.
c) I'm coming up on a 100,000 mile maintenance visit that will be a doozy. My mechanics, who are great and trustworthy, have assured me that it can wait a few thousand more miles (so, 104,000) while I save the money to have the work done.
the '100,000' mile checkup is a good and useful thing to perform maintenance operations. If you do the regular maintenance as suggested by the manufacturers you prevent deferred maintenance problems, which are usually known as either repairs or, worse, catastrophic failures. The brake thing I told you about in A is a perfect example. Ignore the wear indicator and your maintenance item becomes a dangerous failure item. The good news on this is the 100,000 mile number isn't some magical number for the car, it is a great, round number people remember that means we built this car with a lot of items that may go bad and should be check. about 5 years is the right time to do that, most people drive about 20,000 miles a year and so in 100,000 miles come and see us about these items that might (or might not) be bad. so there is some 'approximate' to this number. As long as you don't outright ignore the interval to get a competent mechanic to look it over and more importantly ignore any problem symptoms (see A and B) you can fudge the exact mileage some.
posted by bartonlong at 10:14 AM on October 20, 2014
this is likely the wear indicator on your brake pads. Brake pads are supposed to wear out and be replaced, they are like tires or batteries. If you don't replace them the parts that is 'soft' and wears out is gone completely and the metal backing plate the pads are fixed to starts rubbing on your brake rotors (the shiny plate looking thing you see inside wheels) and this will RUIN THEM. what is a cheap easy repair (under 100) turns into a big stinking deal (lots of 100's). ALSO AND MORE IMPORTANTLY: once the 'soft' part is gone and you get metal on metal contact your brakes don't work right and your car won't stop nearly as fast as it should. This is the kind of thing that kills you or someone else. Get this fixed. You don't screw around with brakes.
b) There's a tightness and a squeak to my steering wheel first thing in the morning when I start my car. That belt has been replaced within the last year or so, and I have no problems with my steering in general. But still: squeak.
This is not likely to be pump/belt issue, this is probably some rubber part in the suspension/steering linkage (usually called a 'bushing') that is worn out and/or dry. Probably not a huge problem, but should be fixed. As long as your steering wheel doesn't have any looseness (you can turn the steering wheel more that a couple of degrees and the car doesn't change directions) or notchiness (if feels like you steering has detents in as your turn) this can wait until you get your overall 100,000 mile checkup. These bushings are also wear items and I would be extremely surprised if some weren't worn out at 100,000 miles. Easy thing to check is the power steering fluid, your owners manual will tell you how to check it. Also see my last line in A, steering is pretty damn important and broken steering kills you/someone else.
c) I'm coming up on a 100,000 mile maintenance visit that will be a doozy. My mechanics, who are great and trustworthy, have assured me that it can wait a few thousand more miles (so, 104,000) while I save the money to have the work done.
the '100,000' mile checkup is a good and useful thing to perform maintenance operations. If you do the regular maintenance as suggested by the manufacturers you prevent deferred maintenance problems, which are usually known as either repairs or, worse, catastrophic failures. The brake thing I told you about in A is a perfect example. Ignore the wear indicator and your maintenance item becomes a dangerous failure item. The good news on this is the 100,000 mile number isn't some magical number for the car, it is a great, round number people remember that means we built this car with a lot of items that may go bad and should be check. about 5 years is the right time to do that, most people drive about 20,000 miles a year and so in 100,000 miles come and see us about these items that might (or might not) be bad. so there is some 'approximate' to this number. As long as you don't outright ignore the interval to get a competent mechanic to look it over and more importantly ignore any problem symptoms (see A and B) you can fudge the exact mileage some.
posted by bartonlong at 10:14 AM on October 20, 2014
This is not likely to be pump/belt issue,
Disagree entirely. If it just happens when cold it is very likely to be a belt issue - the pump has to work harder with cold fluid and so that extra load can make the belt slip momentarily (and squeak) The problem goes away as the car and steering fluid warms up, thins out and becomes easier to pump. That's a pretty standard wear indicator for a worn or badly adjusted belt - steering noise on start up and the first few applications of steering lock. It may just be that the fluid itself is in need of replacement (if it got gungey and thick through age) but if the belt itself is relatively new then my first guess would be that it isn't quite tight enough and has 'settled' a little since it was fitted new. Either way not a terribly urgent issue.
OP: Personally I'd get the brakes checked and ignore the rest until you come back if you can't afford it right now. Your mechanics' assessment that it can wait 4,000 miles is probably correct. If they had inspected the brakes at the point they said that (probably worth a double check) then your brakes may well be ok for that kind of period too, but the only thing I would double check on that list before a road trip is the brakes.
posted by Brockles at 10:51 AM on October 20, 2014 [2 favorites]
Disagree entirely. If it just happens when cold it is very likely to be a belt issue - the pump has to work harder with cold fluid and so that extra load can make the belt slip momentarily (and squeak) The problem goes away as the car and steering fluid warms up, thins out and becomes easier to pump. That's a pretty standard wear indicator for a worn or badly adjusted belt - steering noise on start up and the first few applications of steering lock. It may just be that the fluid itself is in need of replacement (if it got gungey and thick through age) but if the belt itself is relatively new then my first guess would be that it isn't quite tight enough and has 'settled' a little since it was fitted new. Either way not a terribly urgent issue.
OP: Personally I'd get the brakes checked and ignore the rest until you come back if you can't afford it right now. Your mechanics' assessment that it can wait 4,000 miles is probably correct. If they had inspected the brakes at the point they said that (probably worth a double check) then your brakes may well be ok for that kind of period too, but the only thing I would double check on that list before a road trip is the brakes.
posted by Brockles at 10:51 AM on October 20, 2014 [2 favorites]
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The steering thing could be as simple as replacing the fluid. Or, it's the pump or something else expensive. If it fails, the car will still be drivable - but you will get a workout doing it. I wouldn't think it is an immediate problem, though - but you will want to keep your eye on it.
The 100k maintenance probably requires timing belt replacement. This is important, because many engines are interference engines - meaning that if the belt should snap, parts of the engine will collide with other parts of the engine. This is an expensive repair.
Personally, if I had the time and money, I'd get the maintenance done - also plugs, wires, coolant, oil, etc etc. Just to be sure. That said, you will almost certainly be fine without doing those things - and if you have a well kept Yuppie Repair Kit* and/or AAA roadside assistance, you're in even better shape.
*Cellphone and Credit Card
posted by Pogo_Fuzzybutt at 10:08 AM on October 20, 2014