[Silent_H_]

I've noticed a light/higher-pitched metallic grinding noise lately once the car is warmed up. I can only hear it when driving past something that the sound can bounce off of - can't hear anything sticking my ear out the window.

Any ideas what it could be from this admittedly vague description?

[Sweptwing]

My guess would be brake or spindle related

[Silent_H_]

Originally Posted by Sweptwing

My guess would be brake or spindle related

Thanks! I was thinking maybe brake-related too. Good to have another thing in mind!

Once I collect some potential causes, I'll take it to my dealer and have them take a look. It's hard to replicate so I want to attempt to narrow it down for them.

[Rock-It Man]

Typically brake related noises change when you apply the brakes.

Typically bearing related noises change when you are turning. But also, a loss of bearing preload causes brake noise when you turn in one direction but not the other.

[Silent_H_]

I've only noticed it at slow speeds, so I haven't been able to test much with applying brakes. I'll try to find an area where I can drive next to a building on my left so I can narrow it down a bit more. Thanks!

[ember1205]

If you think it's related in any way to wheel rotation, put one corner at a time in the air and spin the wheel by hand. You'd be surprised at how horrendous some noises can be with such a minor issue...

https://youtu.be/iwx0HxDw-_8

[Silent_H_]

Originally Posted by ember1205

If you think it's related in any way to wheel rotation, put one corner at a time in the air and spin the wheel by hand. You'd be surprised at how horrendous some noises can be with such a minor issue...

https://youtu.be/iwx0HxDw-_8

Great idea - thanks!

EDIT: watching that video and the earlier quieter sound is very similar to what I'm hearing. I'll definitely get the wheels off and see.

[ember1205]

Originally Posted by Silent_H_

Great idea - thanks!

EDIT: watching that video and the earlier quieter sound is very similar to what I'm hearing. I'll definitely get the wheels off and see.

We're all curious as to what you find... That issue was from such a small piece of stone and made SUCH an awful noise!

[Silent_H_]

Originally Posted by ember1205

We're all curious as to what you find... That issue was from such a small piece of stone and made SUCH an awful noise!

I'll definitely update once I have a chance to take a look!

[ctrlz]

Let's start by seeing if you get the noise with the vehicle stationary. Try parking next to a van or wall in a parking lot and revving the engine a bit.

[ember1205]

Originally Posted by ctrlz

Let's start by seeing if you get the noise with the vehicle stationary. Try parking next to a van or wall in a parking lot and revving the engine a bit.

You could actually go a step further with this, too.... Since the OP knows how to 'hear' the sound while the car is in motion, try revving the engine while coasting through an area that bounces the sound back. Changes in the sound mean it's coming from the engine, no change means somewhere in the driveline. If the sound goes completely away (with the car in N or the clutch in), it's likely the transmission.

[HDRDTD]

Had something very similar happen to me and my Malibu a few years ago.
Light scraping sounds at low speeds and you could only hear it when driving next to a wall that would reflect the sound.

IIRC, it turned out to be a small fleck of rust that had come off the brake rotor and got hung up in the caliper.

[Silent_H_]

I wasn't able to get the rear up to turn the wheels due to my jack not being big enough apparently. Both fronts made quiet noise when I turned them. Possibly normal brake noise but I feel like they should be silent.

Here are a couple of videos of it (I feel like it's louder once the car is warm and when coasting). It's fairly quiet here, and sorry not sure of a better way to share videos: https://photos.app.goo.gl/5vnvbsVNV9dJXYni6 Also I did wash the car after this so pardon the filthy wheels lol.

The sound doesn't seem to be engine-related. If I rev while stationary, I just hear a bit of a whine/groan sound which I assume is normal valvetrain stuff. Nothing that sounds metallic or bad.

I haven't had a chance to do further testing near buildings but hopefully this week I'll free up enough to go for a drive.

Thanks everyone for all of the advice!

[ember1205]

Originally Posted by Silent_H_

I wasn't able to get the rear up to turn the wheels due to my jack not being big enough apparently. Both fronts made quiet noise when I turned them. Possibly normal brake noise but I feel like they should be silent.

Here are a couple of videos of it (I feel like it's louder once the car is warm and when coasting). It's fairly quiet here, and sorry not sure of a better way to share videos: https://photos.app.goo.gl/5vnvbsVNV9dJXYni6 Also I did wash the car after this so pardon the filthy wheels lol.

The sound doesn't seem to be engine-related. If I rev while stationary, I just hear a bit of a whine/groan sound which I assume is normal valvetrain stuff. Nothing that sounds metallic or bad.

I haven't had a chance to do further testing near buildings but hopefully this week I'll free up enough to go for a drive.

Thanks everyone for all of the advice!

When you find a stretch where you can get the noise to echo back, try revving while you're rolling along to see if the noise changes. Also, try going by the solid reflective barrier in both directions to see if one side of the car seems to cause the noise to reflect more loudly (assuming you can locate somewhere that has a barrier on only one side while you drive by).