Strange Drumming From Front Wheel

[Andythetree]

Hi, new here, so I have read through tons of posts, but none seem to cover my problem.

 

I have a 2004 Grand Voyager diesel.  I have had strange moans and groans ever since I bought the car, roughly a year ago now.  It had plenty of MOT left and so I took it to my normal garage to have a look.  They advised changing some bushes, top and bottom of suspension for safety.  All was well for a while, then the car started with a drumming sound, and it feels through the wheel that I am driving along a heavily cobbled road.  The noise is not speed dependent, neither is it there all the time.  When it happens it usually disappears quickly when I ease off the accelerator.

 

It went back for an MOT and a good look.  It passed the MOT, the springs looked ok, it was tracking fine, so all that was left to change were the struts.  I bought some new ones, aftermarket but not cheap c**p off EBay.  That cured the problem for about 100 miles.  Then back it came, got worse and with a loud bang the strut let go.

 

I hadn't told the garage to change the top mounting plates, and in fairness to the garage they looked pretty good.  I have now had both changed.  The sound is still there and I worry now about safety.  When the strut failed I was only about 400 yards from home, so no big problem. The garage seem sure I must have hit a big pothole, but firstly I would have noticed, and secondly for the amount of damage I would have expected a bent wheel and tyre damage at the least.

 

Any ideas what could be wrong?

[BumBle02]

Hi When I done my struts the springs and top mounts had to go on a certain way if wrong will course noise problems and alignment issues wheel bearings can sound like that the outher thing is the driveshafts it,s hard with out hearing it look back on forum for front struts my help you sort it out. Jeff

Edited February 12, 2019 by BumBle02

[maxcaddy]

As you're having a Garage do the work for you, and they're not finding/curing the issue, then you need to complain and/or find another Garage, ideally one where you can go down the road with the mechanic and point out the problem (assuming that he hadn't found it himself).

 

Sorry, but if by describing it to a competent garage they can't resolve it for you, it is unlikely it can be done third hand on here.

[Fletch]

Possible its the subframe bushes, seems the subframe and the lower plate sandwich the wishbone bushes and if worn i reckon you could pick up some vibration there. 

Ive something similar going on at the moment where the nearside subframe bolt is not tight and think its allowing the rear bush on the wishbone to move a bit.