document updated 15 years ago, on Jul 31, 2008

Front left wheel is screamin' like a banshee.

is it the wheel bearing?
- looks somewhat complicated to replace
- $75
  - elsewhere on that thread: a low grinding noise? No, it's the highest fricking sound I've heard.
    - no, other places describe it as a squeal as well
- $550 for the full job
or the brake pads? I've got the super-cheap brake pads on there, they fit very very poorly, and the backing plate seems really dodgy... I've heard that brake pads can cause a lot of noise... but can they cause this much noise?
- tight fit? tight fit?? mine are like throwing a hotdog down a hallway...

brake pads
- they're REALLY loose fitting
- it's really high-pitched (bearings are sometimes — but not predominately? — high-pitched)
bearings
- there's something working itself loose under there too
- the noise happens more often when I'm NOT braking