I was away on a business trip and the wife was driving my car, a 2013 Lexus GS350. She was trying to move out of the way of an approaching fire truck and she hit the curb pretty good on the passenger side.

She explained what happened and when I got home I found the front passenger tire flat and the rim mangled pretty good. I aired the tire up and it held air overnight. The next day I took the car to my tire guy and on the way I noticed a rotational noise coming from the front passenger wheel area. I was confident the wheel bearing was boogered. The tire guy beat the rim back into round then balanced and rotated the tires.

On the way home, same rotational noise coming from the same place. I replaced the 2 front wheel bearings as well as the front rotors and pads (rotors were warped anyway). No change with the noise.

I took it to a mechanic to help diagnose the issue. He says I have a bent strut on the front passenger side, warped rear rotors, and the back rims aren’t perfectly round. Well I don’t know how a bent strut would cause a rotational noise and the noise is coming from the front of the car. In any event, I replaced the rear wheel bearings, rotors, and pads as well, but still no change in the noise.

Is it possible that a bent strut could in fact be causing this? If not, any ideas as to what I might look at next that could be the culprit?

Thanks!
JP

Any rub marks on the inside of the wheel or tire?
Bent strut could mean a number of things, depending on where it is.
Does it make the noise when it's up so you can spin the wheel by hand?

Bent knuckle? Damaged drive axle?

Front hub bearings may be what is making noise.

My first thought after the hub was the brake backing plate was bent.

quote:

Originally posted by Oz_Shadow:
My first thought after the hub was the brake backing plate was bent.

My first thought after reading the OP

quote:

Originally posted by 220-9er:
Any rub marks on the inside of the wheel or tire?

No

quote:

Originally posted by 220-9er: Does it make the noise when it's up so you can spin the wheel by hand?

Not sure.

JP

quote:

Originally posted by shovelhead:
Bent knuckle? Damaged drive axle?

This is where I'm starting to think the problem lies.

JP

quote:

Originally posted by jprebb:
any ideas as to what I might look at next that could be the culprit?

Your bearing races may have gotten Brindled or otherwise damaged in the curb strike. Replacing the bearings themselves will not cure this. Visual inspection may not reveal this situation.

Does it make it when you jack the front up on stands and turn the wheel by hand. If not then it's happening when weight it on it, look around for anything touching or rubbing.

Surprised the tire guy didn't find it... or maybe he did telling you the strut is damaged.

Like Oz_Shadow and P250UA5, my bet is on the brake backing plates. They’re made out of relatively thin sheet metal and warped rotors will in turn deform them.

quote:

Originally posted by MacGyver:
Like Oz_Shadow and P250UA5, my bet is on the brake backing plates. They’re made out of relatively thin sheet metal and warped rotors will in turn deform them.

I'll look into this...thanks!

JP

quote:

Originally posted by architect:
Your bearing races may have gotten Brindled or otherwise damaged in the curb strike. Replacing the bearings themselves will not cure this. Visual inspection may not reveal this situation.

I should have been more clear. I replaced the hub assembly on all 4 corners, not just the bearings.

JP

Is your insurance company involved?

Is it a swishing noise whose pitch gets higher the faster you go? That was a slightly bent backing plate rubbing the rotor on my dad’s car last week.

quote:

Originally posted by joel9507:
Is your insurance company involved?

No, they are not.

JP