Odd noise after hitting ice a while back

[lorne]

Hi I don't know if anyone has any idea here, i'm baffled.
Basically I hit a big lump of ice and have damaged something. I had the main stealers have a look at it and they couldn't find a problem, however there is one and i'm not mad!
The noise sounds like a rubbing noise, it sounds like a bent wheel with the tyre rubbing on and off the bodywork but nowhere near as loud. I can feel vibration through the footwell and is more on the drivers side, it can happen at any speed but more noticable at 40mph.

What i've tried is this:

Changed track rod end and cv boot on passenger side as was loose, the drivers side is solid.
Took the car out and took out of gear to see if the noise was from the gearbox...noise still remained.
Springs have been changed already
Tyres not rubbing and no judder from steering.
Looked underneath and no sign of any damage, no loose engine mounts or warn parts

I can't see what the problem is, but there is a noise which my brother heard who used to be a mechanic. He thinks it could be the cv joint on the drivers side but isn't sure, there is no play in it though and I thought it would make a much louder noise??

Any ideas???

 

[marcuswomersley]

Wheel barings would be my guess, when the wheel bearing has gone it sounds very similar to a wheel rubbing on the arch. give your wheel a wobble to check for play.

 

[lorne]

Yea cheers, I did give the drivers side a good wiggle too, but it's absolutely solid, nothing seems loose at all?

 

[Muttley]

Wobble test won't detect a modern wheel bearing's wear, especially a front wheel. Heavily engineered twin rollers or ball bearings, even when worn there is no noticable play. This is from experience on my last car, an Ibiza TDI 90. Noise like a scrapyard at any speed, no noticable wobble.

Test that does work is to find an empty stretch of road, drive at 30mph or so and veer from side to side, stressing the bearings on each side alternately. If its the bearing, the noise will get louder when that bearing in stressed i.e. on the outside of the curve. So if it gets louder veering left, it is the right-hand i.e. the offside bearing that's going.

Another one that has been suggested recently is to jack up the wheel, spin it by hand and feel for vibration.