Comebacks are no fun, especially when it is an intermittent noise that you can’t track down! This is what one technician experienced when he had an unsatisfied customer come back into the shop with their 2007 Hummer H3 3.7L. Let’s take a peek at how this technician turned their customer’s frown upside down.
Diagnosis
When the customer originally brought their vehicle in, the technician had replaced both front hub units with A/C Delco hub units (FW413). A few days later a squeak was coming from the left front of the vehicle. The technician removed the wheel and raised it on the hoist but couldn’t find a noise. After a test drive, he found it squeaks loudly on right hand turns but quiet on left hand turns.
The technician had now already replaced the left hub assembly twice. He couldn’t find any lose or worn parts, saw the brakes looked fine and the spring and clips were in the right place. He also checked the backing plate and reset the clearance—still no change. After a second replacement, the technician test drove it, and it was good and quiet. Four hours later, the customer calls back complaining the noise was back.
Feeling discouraged, the technician turned to his fellow SureTrack Community member. The member told him, “Happened to me! It drove me nuts. It wound up being loose front skid plates believe it or not!” When the customer returned, the noise had become more intermittent and a different pitch. With this advice, he found that indeed the lower skid plate was just touching the front bumper.
Fix
What initially seemed like a bigger fix was actually a simple one. The technician repositioned the plate, and the customer has not been back for the same issue yet.
Real Fixes from Mitchell 1’s SureTrack® expert information resource are documented issues from actual shop repair orders and community discussions. Read the Real Fix in the Mitchell 1 ShopConnection Blog.
