[Drivingforfun]

My car was making a few odd noises on Saturday night when I parked up at home, but I couldn't see anything in the dark and decided there wasn't much I could do at that time

Now it's making an awfully loud metal scraping sound, but only when driving forwards. Reversing is absolutely fine - even when using the accelerator/engine power to reverse at a reasonable speed (I park on a hill so rarely need to accelerate in reverse)

Would a wheel bearing do this? i.e. it's fine going anticlockwise but not clockwise

My other thought is a transmission issue, it's only doing it going forward. I didn't try moving in second gear, so not sure if it's just a first gear issue, because I park on a hill I think I'd struggle

It's a relatively new car - it's about 18 months old with just under 20,000 miles on it

Any ideas?

I've had the car since new and it's been maintained well. It's a Motability vehicle so I'll be contacting them but just thought I'd ask if it sounds like a serious issue, and whether it's advisable not to try to move it anymore etc. (by the sound, moving it might be making it worse!)

Thanks

[Rolebama]

FWIW: A lot of cars now have thin steel guards over the disks. Stones trapped in there will make a noise similar to what you describe.

[Drivingforfun]

Rolebama

Thanks!!!! I'd checked where the calliper presses the pad onto the disc so thought I'd just double check behind the disc and as soon as I put my hand in there and wiggled the shield (which I didn't even know existed) a stone fell out and the noise is gone 👍

[thomas598brown]

Originally Posted by Drivingforfun

My car was making a few odd noises on Saturday night when I parked up at home, but I couldn't see anything in the dark and decided there wasn't much I could do at that time

Now it's making an awfully loud metal scraping sound, but only when driving forwards. Reversing is absolutely fine - even when using the accelerator/engine power to reverse at a reasonable speed (I park on a hill so rarely need to accelerate in reverse)

Would a wheel bearing do this? i.e. it's fine going anticlockwise but not clockwise

My other thought is a transmission issue, it's only doing it going forward. I didn't try moving in second gear, so not sure if it's just a first gear issue, because I park on a hill I think I'd struggle

It's a relatively new car - it's about 18 months old with just under 20,000 miles on it

Any ideas?

I've had the car since new and it's been maintained well. It's a Motability vehicle so I'll be contacting them but just thought I'd ask if it sounds like a serious issue, and whether it's advisable not to try to move it anymore etc. (by the sound, moving it might be making it worse!)

Thanks

Hello,
It sounds like you might have a wheel bearing issue. Wheel bearings can make a scraping or grinding noise, especially when driving forward1. Since it's fine when reversing, it's less likely to be a transmission problem.
I recommend not driving the car until it's checked by a mechanic, as continuing to drive could cause further damage. Contact your Motability provider and arrange for an inspection as soon as possible.

Best regards,
Thomas Brown