# Car Advice



## ron (Dec 12, 2003)

Can anyone help tell me what this is?

I have a Renault Laguna (2001)

Just recently (in the last 2 months) it has started 'squealing' when I make sharp turns. Not all the time, say 20-40% of the time

To describe 'squealing' - remember the car chases in the movies? Cops after bad guys, car goes round corner and the wheels screech - it's that noise

Except it happens when I turn sharp corners at 5mph in Sainsbury's car park

I took the car to the Renault dealership and asked them to check it out. I even drove a mechanic in it to try to reproduce the noise (sod's law meant it didn't happen once of course)

They checked it out, removed some 'belt'(?) thing, lubricated something or other(?) - put it all back together, and said they couldn't find anything wrong.

To be fair, they did not charge me anything for this

But still, it can't be right...........

Having written this, it has not actually occurred for a week or so now, so maybe whatever it was has 'settled down' or something

Anyone mechanically minded got any ideas?


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## Stan (Aug 7, 2003)

If your tyre pressures are correct then I suspect it's a power steering problem.

PG will know.


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## ron (Dec 12, 2003)

Stan said:


> If your tyre pressures are correct then I suspect it's a power steering problem.
> 
> PG will know.


Hi Stan

Tyre pressures are correct, as the car would have told me if the tyre pressure was out









I'm a gadget freak after all









Read about it *here*

TYRE PRESSURE MONITOR

Inside the inflation valve on each wheel there is a sensor that acts as an early warning system against problems associated with a loss of tyre pressure. Information is transmitted by coded radio signal so as to identify the problem wheel to an on-board computer, which checks against the speed of the vehicle and informs the driver as necessary

PG?


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## MIKE (Feb 23, 2003)

Stan said:


> If your tyre pressures are correct then I suspect it's a power steering problem.
> 
> PG will know.


 Hi Ron,

Stan could be right, my car had a similar symptom and it turned out to be a leak in the power steering fluid, having said that, if it was loosing fluid I would asume the mechanic would have noticed a leak. Have you checked the level?

MIKE..


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## ron (Dec 12, 2003)

> Have you checked the level?
> 
> MIKE..


No

But I will first thing tomorrow

thanks Mike and Stan









(I'll post the result tomorrow)


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## pg tips (May 16, 2003)

not so easy to diagnose without seeing / hearing it.

Did it tend to do it more on full lock hard over?

If so either pump fault or more likely loose drive belt for the power steering. Full load needs more torque if the belts loose it will slip and screach. Prob you mechanics have cured the fault by cleaning and tightening the belt. Or could be the belt tensioner pully was seizing up. This may be what they lubricated.

One other thought, what was the road surface like? Have they laid anti slip where the screach happened? They just re surfaced the multi stories here and tyres screach like hell now going up as well as down.

Those tyre pressure sensors are Â£88 quid each, be careful when you pump up the tyres!

btw that screach on the 70's cop show was from bias braided tyres which were common in the states but we don't have here. They had a tendancie to squeal on tarmac. It became so common that the sound engineers started adding it to the sound track when it wasn't there. If you ever get to see the dukes of Hazard see how many times the tyres squeal when they are on dirt tracks! All the bloody time.


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## ron (Dec 12, 2003)

Drive belt!

That's what they called it!

Sounds like (fingers crossed) that was the problem then - as it seems to have gone away now. And they didn't charge me, so I'm quite happy.

Didn't realise those sensors were that much









The Dukes of Hazzard









I never noticed the dirt track tyre squeal - but will keep an ear open for it if I ever see another episode.

Classic show - like so many of that era......The Professionals, The Sweeney, Miami Vice, Sapphire and Steel









Thanks PG - my mind is at rest now


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## DavidH (Feb 24, 2003)

My money is on the power steering drive belt and I'd say its fixed.


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## Roger (May 17, 2003)

Funniyl enough, this happens to me sometimes, but for some reason, only in my local multi-story car park. It happens on full-lock when going from one level to the next one up...never down!!.

people look at me as if I was driving like a hooligan, but in fact, its only at about 3 mph....

Only ever happens in the multi-story...strange...

Roger


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## Stan (Aug 7, 2003)

Roger,

A slow speed, tyre squeeling hooligan.









If you had Islamic persuations you might be a terrorist.























You don't, so I guess you are a funky white brother.









Dunno, maybe a new set of tyres?


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## pg tips (May 16, 2003)

Roger it's the ultra grip surface that they put on the car park, getting very common now.

I had a call the other week to a guy with a thumping noise, thud thud thud, from the n/s. Turns out he was drifting onto the near side white line on the motorway that have those bumps in them, designed to wake the lorry drivers up before they crash!


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## chrisb (Feb 26, 2003)

pg tips said:


> Roger it's the ultra grip surface that they put on the car park, getting very common now.
> 
> I had a call the other week to a guy with a thumping noise, thud thud thud, from the n/s. Turns out he was drifting onto the near side white line on the motorway that have those bumps in them, designed to wake the lorry drivers up before they crash!


And not only Lorrry Drivers, they've "woken" me up on a few occassions on the M5, (usually about 5.45 am) before I wised-up and started taking 15 min naps in the services car parks


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## Griff (Feb 23, 2003)

Wheel bearing!?


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## DAVID (Mar 17, 2003)

Had a similar problem with tyres sqealing at low speeds when you would never expect it.

Tyre fitter mate reckons modern "High Rolling Resistance" tyres (like Michelin Energy's) are very sensitive to having correct pressure, and coupled with certain road surfaces, can make a lot of noise.

Nothing to be concerned about though.

Although the way some people look at you, you feel you're driving a knackered Citroen Saxa with no tax, 3cwt of cheap bodykit designed by Stevie Wonder ,exhausts from the local Plumbing supply centre, and be wearing a burberry cap and numerous zits.


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## Griff (Feb 23, 2003)

DAVID said:


> Although the way some people look at you, you feel you're driving a knackered Citroen Saxa with no tax, 3cwt of cheap bodykit designed by Stevie Wonder ,exhausts from the local Plumbing supply centre, and be wearing a burberry cap and numerous zits.










......Well my Citroen Saxo is just mighty fine thank you.....!!!!!!


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## pg tips (May 16, 2003)

DAVID said:


> Although the way some people look at you, you feel you're driving a knackered Citroen Saxa with no tax, 3cwt of cheap bodykit designed by Stevie Wonder ,exhausts from the local Plumbing supply centre, and be wearing a burberry cap and numerous zits.










Get a lot of kids round here with them as well. Max Power is edited in Peterborough


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## Roger (May 17, 2003)

> If you had Islamic persuations you might be a terrorist


Stan, I certainly dont follow that " religion?" but it has been said that I might look better wearing one of those sack-bags their "women" wear over their heads.

I reckon PG's theory about the surface is very close to the mark, at leat in my case.

Roger


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