I have a Rotational noise which started in the back and now sounds like its coming from the front as well. Seems louder in cold weather, when I make left turns and when I have a few people in the car. I suspected wheel bearings. Goodwrench first diagnosed it as my rear rotors. Took it to another service center and they tell me the noise is coming from the tires. The tech says he has seen this problem on 2000-2001 Grand Am's. Apparently the noise is coming from the tire rubbing up against the rim. They say dirt builds up in-between where the rim and the tire touch which causes almost a grinding noise. They charged me $30 to tell me this and want to charge me over $200 to fix it. Something about taking the tries of the rims cleaning and greasing them.
Has anyone heard of this or had this happen to them????
Yes, we have had problems with Alero's. About the only real long term fix is replace all four tires. I'll past the relevant bulletin below: Note: it won't look quite right as the graphical parts get lost in the translation.
Scraping/Scrunching Noise from Front of Vehicle During Low Speed Turning and Braking (Clean Front Wheels and Replace Front Tires Only) #02-03-10-003 - (06/19/2002) Scraping/Scrunching Noise From Front of Vehicle During Low Speed Turning and Braking (Clean the Front Wheels and Replace Front Tires Only)
1999-2002 Oldsmobile Alero
1999-2002 Pontiac Grand Am
with RPO QSK (Goodyear® EagleT RSA Tires) or RPO QQK (Goodyear® EagleT LS Tires)
Built Prior To the Following VIN Breakpoints:
VIN Tire
2C250655 with Goodyear® EagleT RSA Tires
Prior to DOT #M6WXAWE0502
2M655421
2C283578 with Goodyear® EagleT LS Tires
Prior to DOT #PDWXC5E1002
2M689350
Condition Some customers may comment on a noise from the front of the vehicle during low speed cornering, braking and parking lot maneuvers. The noise sounds like a scrunching/scraping noise. ONLY vehicles equipped with 16 inch (406 mm) aluminum wheels with Goodyear® EagleT RSA or Goodyear® EagleT LS tires are affected.
Cause This condition may be caused by raised ribs on the tire sidewall contacting the rim flange and creating an audible noise during vehicle cornering maneuvers. The rubbing action may cause minor cosmetic chafing on the rim flange, but will have no negative affect on the tire/wheel performance or durability.
Correction Diagnosis a.. The vehicle will be equipped with 16 inch (406 mm) aluminum wheels with Goodyear® EagleT RSA or Goodyear® EagleT LS tires ONLY. b.. The noise is commonly misdiagnosed as a faulty front wheel bearing or worn front brake pads. c.. Raise the front tire pressure to 303 kPa (44 psi) or substitute the front tire/wheel assemblies with a known good set and road test the vehicle. If the noise is reduced or eliminated, the tire to wheel interface is the cause.
I had this noise on my 1999 Grand Am GT with the Goodyear Eagle RS-A tires from about 25,000 miles until this morning when I put on new tires at 71,000 miles. The noise is an annoyance but is not a sign of anything breaking & does not have to be fixed. You can just turn up the radio ;-) Doug L
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