( AOL Autos ) -- The headline of this article illustrates the feeling people get when they encounter small , annoying maladies in their vehicles . Steering/wheel vibrations are some of the most common . Squeaks , rattles , leaks , and vibrations are so irritating to motorists that the carmakers have created a separate category in their labor guides for warranty repair . The average time paid by the manufacturer to track down and repair these annoying gremlins is about a half hour , but most times it actually takes a lot longer than that to identify and make the necessary repair . Squeaks & rattles ( S/R ) Squeaks & rattles ( S/R ) usually occur as a result of either two parts rubbing together or as a result of some part that is not quite secure , resulting in a squeak under load . The most common origins of S/R are from inside the dashboard , the vehicle 's body , suspension or brakes . Whenever a S/R develops , try to isolate the noise . Does it only happen when braking ? Turning ? Backing up ? Going over a bump ? While driving over a bumpy roadway ? And where does the sound seem to be coming from ? The dash ? Under the car ? The front or rear wheels ? Once you isolate the approximate location of the noise and when it happens , something can be done about it . Air and water leaks . What 's leaking ? Water or air ? There 's a different diagnostic procedure for finding these leaks . If you have fresh water coming into the vehicle , than you need to determine if it 's coming from outside or inside . If from outside , it could be a leak in the windshield or a body seam . The best way to duplicate this condition is to spray water on the outside of the vehicle in the approximate area where the water is leaking into the vehicle . Have someone inside the vehicle trying to find the origin of entry using a flashlight . Once you find it , seal the leak . This may require re-sealing the windshield , adjusting the door tighter against the doorjamb gasket , adjusting the door glass tighter against the glass squeegee , or sealing a body seam . Whether or not you can repair it yourself depends on your knowledge and access to the necessary equipment . If air is leaking into the vehicle , the best way to duplicate and track down an air leak is to drive the vehicle with another person trying to track down the noise , using either a stethoscope or electronic air leak listening device . Once pinpointed , repair of an air leak may require replacement of a door or glass gasket , or the re-sealing of the windshield or a body seam . AOL Autos : Top 10 least-polluting cars . Vehicle vibrations . Vehicle vibrations take various forms . The most common forms fall into the following categories : . -- Steering/suspension/wheel/tire . -- Body/chassis . -- Engine . - Drivetrain . Steering/suspension/wheel/tire . This category is by far the most popular form of vehicle vibration . Tires go out of balance or go bad , steering linkage and suspension components wear out , and wheels get bent . All these conditions can result in steering wheel vibration . AOL Autos : Most popular crossover vehicles . Say , for instance , you experience a steering wheel vibration at 55MPH , below or above this speed vibration is not present . In such a case , a tire is probably out of balance . Worn steering linkage often causes vibration of the steering wheel while driving a rough road , usually after hitting a pothole or some sort of bump in the road . This action sets the steering linkage off into a wild side to side dance that is characterized by a vigorous back and forth motion of the steering wheel . AOL Autos : Cars with the best resale values . Suspension wear can cause a similar action . Check the control arm bushings , ball joints , struts and strut bearings . Check the shocks on shock suspensions . Finally , a bent wheel or bad tire causes steering wheel vibration that 's always present and intensifies at higher speeds . AOL Autos : Best used luxury cars . Body/chassis . Vibration in the body and chassis can be more difficult to track down because it can originate from a location other than where it shows up . This is called telescoping . The best way to track down a body or chassis vibration is via the use of a special electronic listening device called a `` Chassis Ear . '' This is an electronic listening device that uses multiple microphones to amplify vibrations , so that they can be more accurately and efficiently tracked down . AOL Autos : Top 10 cars you may overlook . Engine vibration . Engine vibration can usually be traced to an engine miss from a bad sparkplug or plug wire , vacuum leak , faulty ignition component , mechanical failure of a cylinder ( such as a broken valve spring , burnt valve , worn piston rings ) , and a host of other stuff . A simple engine diagnostic will bring to light the cause of engine vibration . Drivetrain . The final category of the most popular vibration complaint is Drivetrain vibration , which come from the transmission , axles , differentials , transfer cases and all affiliated components . This type of vibration usually expresses itself throughout the whole vehicle . While accelerating or decelerating you can feel it in the seats , floorboards , steering wheel , and doors ( essentially throughout the entire vehicle ) . It usually intensifies with engine acceleration or deceleration . Popular causes of this type of vibration are loose or worn CV or universal joints , bent drive or half shafts , loose transmission output shaft bearings or bushings , or worn differential or transfer case bearings . The next time you hear that annoying squeak or rattle , or feel that irritating vibration , your vehicle is trying to tell you something . Do n't put up with it ; get it fixed and avoid bigger problems down the road . 'Til next time ... Keep Rollin '
Small car noises and vibrations can be really annoying and hard to fix . Average time paid to track down and repair these is about a half hour . Squeaks & rattles usually occur as a result of two parts rubbing together . The first part being the engine, which has friction against it when you drive on rough roads or over bumps in your driveway.