I just had the left front wheel bearing and the front brake pads replaced, and started noticing a scraping noise in the left front wheel when I steered or turned right. My mechanic and I took it for a test drive, but he insisted he could not hear the noise, so I decided to ignore it.

I took the car back in today because the rear brakes were squealing, so my mechanic decided to take it for a test drive again to see if he could hear the noise I insisted was coming from the left front wheel. Fortunately, he heard it this time as it turned out that the ball joint was shot, which can be a rather serious problem if it goes when you are driving. I know because I once had to dig the front end of a car out of a dirt road so it could be towed when the ball joint went.

I've noticed a lot of posts from Pontiac Wave owners about an occasional scraping noise coming from the left front wheel, and they invariably say their mechanics can't figure out what it is. I would strongly advise all those Wave owners to get their ball joints checked. If they go while driving at high speeds, you may not live to tell about it.