2012 M37x making scraping noise around front wheel...

[NoTalentLoser]

I purchased a 2012 M37x with 40k miles about two weeks ago, and the car drives really well except for a few (hopefully small) issues. First of all, I notice that when driving at very low speeds, I can hear a very faint, almost unnoticeable scraping sound coming from somewhere around the front driver's side wheel. It's not a loud sound at all, and I can't hear it with the windows up. I also don't hear it when driving at higher speeds (although it could still be occurring). I'm not sure if the same noise is being produced around the front passenger side wheel since I have only driven it by myself thus far. I don't notice any noises at all when I'm actually braking.

The other issue is that, if I let go of the wheel while driving, the car seems to want to glide off to the left. I don't actually feel it "pulling" when my hands are on the steering wheel; it only occurs when I actually let go of the wheel. Is a simple alignment all that's necessary to fix this?

Do any of you guys know what these issues could be caused by? Is the scraping sound most likely a minor issue with the brakes? Could the car just be out of alignment?

Thanks in advance...

[SwissCheeseHead]

I wouldn't judge an alignment issue by letting the wheel go to see if it goes straight. Roads are built in such a way that water is drained to the curb, so that there is no water buildup in the middle of the road. Your car will drift with a perfect alignment. Also a slightly misaligned car wouldn't cause a scraping sound.

I would check to see if the brake dust shield is bent enough where it's making contact with the rotor. Probably when taking off or mounting the wheels to the car, the shield might have gotten bent up enough to lightly scrape. That would be my first go.

[NoTalentLoser]

I wouldn't judge an alignment issue by letting the wheel go to see if it goes straight. Roads are built in such a way that water is drained to the curb, so that there is no water buildup in the middle of the road. Your car will drift with a perfect alignment. Also a slightly misaligned car wouldn't cause a scraping sound.

I would check to see if the brake dust shield is bent enough where it's making contact with the rotor. Probably when taking off or mounting the wheels to the car, the shield might have gotten bent up enough to lightly scrape. That would be my first go.

Thanks for the tip! I don't have much/any experience at all with working on cars, so do you know if a bent brake dust shield is something that can be observed by simply sliding myself under the car and scanning for it visually?

[SwissCheeseHead]

You could I suppose, but it would be easiest to see by taking off the wheel. What you can do is jack up the front of the car slightly, just enough to allow the wheel to turn freely. While the car is up, turn the wheel to see if you can replicate the sound. If you can, I would take off the wheel and inspect closer.