I have a 99SE Stick with 33k. I have this intermittant low sounding noise from the front end. Its not engine, I turn the car off and coast on a downhill hill and can still hear it. Im thinking its the brakes, anyone got any other ideas?

 

This shrill sound could be coming from the brake pad wear indicators. Here is a quote from the Owner's Manual.

Brake pad wear indicators
The disc brake pads on your vehicle have audible wear indicators. When a brake pad requires replacement, it will make a high pitched scraping or screeching sound when the vehicle is in motion whether or not the brake pedal is depressed. Have the brakes checked as soon as possible if the wear indicator sound is heard.


Front pads typically wear out sooner than rear pads, so check the fronts first. If the rotors are not conspicuously worn and you have not felt any pulsation in the brake pedal, you may need nothing more than new pads. Replacing worn brake pads is something which may be done by the home mechanic. You will find good coverage of this subject in the Haynes manual, pages 9-5 through 9-9. Doing the front pads is easier than the rears because the rear calipers have the complication of the hand brake mechanism.

Brake pads can wear out in 25K miles or 100K miles. It depends on your car (brakes wear faster with automatic transmission), your driving style, your driving environment. In a stop-and-go urban area brakes wear quickly. In 100% highway driving the brake pads never wear out because they are lightly used.

 

Daniel, Thank you, do you think they are still covered under the 36/3 warranty?

 

The warranty covers defects in materials and workmanship. It does not cover consumable items such as brake pads which are expected to wear out sooner or later.