My '93 SL1 (automatic) with 150k miles recently started making a high-pitched and loud squealing that seems to come from the front of the car at the drivers side, but it's hard to be sure. So far it only makes the sound when the car is cold, immediately after starting to drive, and especially when cornering with load placed on the drivers side (i.e. left turns). It seems to be getting a bit worse each day, but it's also been getting colder.
I could only find one thread where several people said they had exactly this problem, but no one was able to get a shop to diagnose it (especially since you'd have to drive it to the shop and by then it wouldn't make the noise anymore, you'd have to let it sit overnight).
The front brake pads are near their end, could this be the wear sensor or does that sound when NOT braking (I've never heard one before so don't know what to expect)? Or could it be the suspension, engine mounts, or even a belt? Just want to make sure it's nothing immediately seriously, because I wanted to take the car on a trip 3 hours away this weekend.
Thanks for any suggestions.