Serious question, has anyone else had a customer's weird noise lead them to a totally different problem?

I was working on a 2015 Civic in the shop last Tuesday, and the owner came in saying he had a grinding sound from the front right wheel. He was sure it was a bad wheel bearing. I put it on the lift, spun the wheel, and heard nothing. Took it for a quick drive around the block and sure enough, a nasty grind on light turns. I came back, checked the bearing again, and it felt fine. On a hunch, I pulled the wheel and looked at the brake shield. It was bent in just enough that the very edge was kissing the back of the rotor on turns. A five minute bend-back with some pliers fixed it. The guy was happy, but I felt like I almost wasted an hour chasing his guess. How often do you find the real issue is something simple the customer would never think of?

2 comments

2 Comments

gibson.mark6d ago

Had a Ford pickup last month with a bad shake the owner swore was tires. Turned out to be a single loose lug nut on the rear wheel.

hugo_nelson6d ago

Man, that's the worst. Customers get so stuck on one idea they can't see the simple fix. Glad you found it before something really let go.