Grizbert

Any insight on this one would be appreciated, as I know next to nothing about cars and would like to avoid spending unnecessary cash at this time of year. I am planning to drive cross country for Christmas (a total of nearly 3,500 miles) and am trying to determine whether I need to fork over the cash beforehand to insure safe travels. I plan to take it in to a local mechanic Saturday morning for diagnostics.

2005 Chevy Cavalier, 4 door
Automatic, front wheel drive
63,000 miles (38,000 put on in the five years I have had the car, 26,000 on the car when I bought it at six months old in 2005)

For the past six months, I have heard a squealing noise that sounds like the brakes when first driving the car. I can't tell whether it is coming from the front or rear, but it is loud enough to be cause for concern, and sounds like it is probably either some kind of belt or metal-on-metal. A friend thinks it might be the brushings, but hasn't actually heard the noise, since it doesn't always make it. I am also concerned about taking it to the shop, because it is unlikely they will even be able to hear the noise.

I don't think it is the brakes, because they have been well maintained and I have replaced the brake pads and shoes, rotors, and drums in the past year. The brakes are performing great, and this odd noise doesn't coincide with braking. My father suspected power steering, and I did discover that my power steering fluid well was completely dry a few months ago, even though I regularly take it in for fluid checks along with oil changes and tire rotation, etc. I refilled it, and it has not been leaking; for a little while, the noise went away, but now it's been back for several months, off and on.

It only makes the noise when I first start the car and pull out of the parking lot / driveway. It does it when reversing on occasion, and sometimes as I pull out of the driveway onto the street, and very occasionally as I come to a stop or start moving again at the end of the street. The only time it makes this noise is within the first minute of driving, and it only does it about every sixth time I get in the car. Once I hear the noise on any given day, it generally doesn't make the noise on subsequent trips.

I only drive the car about once or twice a week, and usually less than ten miles, as I walk to work.

I recently took my car in to a chain brake shop that I have used for the life of the car, to get an oil change. On the ticket, they added some "recommended" work for my next visit (as usual), and included that work on the shocks and struts was "needed." Is it likely that I need to replace shocks and/or struts at this mileage? The car doesn't feel particularly "bouncy" and doesn't make the noise when I hit potholes or bumpy stretches of road, only when I first get in and pull out of a parking spot or in the first few hundred yards of driving.

Has anyone else had this issue? Any ideas?

drive65

Grizbert,

In my 13 years of owning and daily driving two different Cavaliers, I have had a few experiences with a squealing serpentine belt on the engine. Has your belt ever been replaced? If it is cracking or just looks generally worn out, that may be your problem. I have used liquid belt dressing at times and it can make the belt squeal go away for a little while, but at other times it has made it even worse. You can buy small spray cans of that at your local parts store. The cure-all was eventually replacing the belt with a new one. If you are fairly mechanically inclined you should be able to do it yourself, if you determine it is indeed the belt.
I do suppose it could be possible that the power steering pump is not well, especially if it was run dry for any length of time. If you rule out the belt being the source of the squeal, try to listen carefully in the area of the pump.
Otherwise, I think the squeal would be more constant, or more often, if it was the brakes. And if you ever experience the noise with the car at a stand-still, it is an obvious sign that it is not the brakes.
As for shocks/struts, I do not think you need to replace them at that low mileage. My Cavalier has about 160,000 miles on it and I easily live with the bumps I feel through the car with normal driving. I think your shop needs the business!
Hope that helps. Safe motoring and merry Christmas!