Squeaking sound after a period of highway driving

[krist0ph3r]

I've owned this 2004 Jazz for about a year (my first car!), and while it's given me no real trouble, I'm worried about a high pitched continuous but occasional squeaking sound after a period of highway driving - definitely over half an hour. The sound comes from one or both the front wheels (I feel it could be the driver side but that could also be my ears being biased), and seems to be at the same loudness independent of speed on the road or speed of the engine. The sound usually seems to start and stop based on the position of the steering, but sometimes starts and stops even when driving in a straight line.

I noticed it months ago, but haven't been driving much, so it's been quuite rare. Recently did a road trip, and on a couple of high mileage days it simply wouldn't stop - it's so loud I'd have to roll the windows up for us to enjoy the radio! On one such instance, I stopped at a pump, and had my wife get out and listen while I drove around the pump. She confirmed it was coming from one of the front wheels, and suggesed driver side but again wasn't sure. The sound is always only after a period of highway driving and always stops after a few minutes' break.

Given I probably wouldn't be able to schedule a mechanic visit right after a long highway drive, is there anything I can ask my mechanic to check? I do not like the thought of ignoring noises as loud as this, and given this car is an old and cheap run-around for when I can't take the motorbike, I'd rather get it sorted before it turns into a breakdown and/or an expensive repair job.

[embee]

Bit of a stab in the dark with remote descriptions of sounds, but my first look would be the brake pads and check if the caliper is free to move on the sliding pins. If the pads are worn down it could be touching the backing plate, or sometimes some pads can have a tell-tale warning pin which is designed to make a noise when worn down to a minimum thickness. If the caliper is sticking on the sliding pins it will make the fixed pad rub al the time and it'll get hot and could start to squeal.

Do either front wheels get hot to the touch at the centre? Warm is normal, hot isn't.

Of course it could be something else completely ................

[CRC]

You almost certainly need some new brake pads.

The Jazz method of letting you know that the pads are getting low is a small, springy tang of metal that makes a horrible squealing noise as it rubs against the disc.

It's one of those brilliantly simple things that Honda do so well ... why put fiddly electrics into the hardest environment on the car when a simple tang of metal lets you know without doubt that you need new pads.

[olduser1]

You can help the forum by letting us know current mileage, when last serviced, what's parts fitted. Anything changed on your Jazz in past 3 months?
Over to you.

[degzi]

Definitely sounds brake related.
I had a sticky rear caliper and it made a horrendous squeaking noise when it didnt release properly.

[manob9001]

I was supposed to post the exact same problem. I noticed the squeaking noise now twice while driving in the motorway. My car is Jazz 2008 1330 CC (GD1). Mileage is around 234K and the yearly maintenance was accomplished recently (Surprisingly I noticed the noise after the yearly maintenance). During the maintenance the spark plugs were replaced.

[Lord Voltermore]

Could also  be brakes squealing  . They might not notice on the maintenance service as they wouldnt drive the car .  Maybe its more noticeable now if the new plugs made the rest of the car quieter.

Back in July I drove a car over a mountain range  with lots of heavy braking  (A corsa not a Jazz) Brakes started squealing a bit . When I got home I put a hose pipe on the brakes.  This washed out lots of brake dust,  and the squealing stopped.  Not a permanent cure. The brakes should still be checked out and may need servicing/cleaning or the pads replacing   . This is not usually part of normal annual servicing  ,although they might notice if the pads are worn out.  If the service included  changing brake fluid  this might have affected the brakes .

A bit of an anecdote here.  .  The mountains were in Greece, and it was over 40C  .  Definitely some brake squeal,  but it got much worse, almost deafening .  Its only when I stopped the car and switched the engine off  but the noise did not stop that  I realised the noise was not brakes or engine  but  Cicada/grasshoppers    I'm used to loud cicada  but never this loud ,and these ones sounded  exactly like  metal on metal without oil. 

[cristispot]

What you can do, after a longer drive, park the car and put your hand on each alloy, one by one and notice if there's a difference in temperature. If one of them is hot compared to others that are say warm, then you can bet there's an issue with your caliper.