Wobbling noise

[bakabakablah]

Did a quick search and came up with nothing so here goes. I took my car into the dealership to get my front left wheel bearing replaced (among several other minor issues) and while that was taken care of, it seems like a new problem has popped up in its place...

 

I'm extremely sure that when I took my car in for service, it went in with 2" of curb rash on the right rear wheel (at most) but I noticed that when I got it back, approximately 1/2 of the wheel had curb rash on it. I called up the dealer and the service guy told me that while he marked down that there was some damage to the wheel when it was brought in, he didn't mark exactly how much damage there was and that they were not at fault because during the test drive and while the car was stored on their lot, there were no curbs where the damage could have taken place. Obviously, I'm a bit skeptical about them taking good care of my car because it came back to me with a ding on the door all the way down to the metal, but I digress. So when I got the car back and drove it home, I didn't notice any immediate problems with it but the other day when I was going to a restaurant with my friends I noticed that there was a wobbling sound coming from somewhere in the rear of the car along with some sort of vibration that matched up to the frequency of the wobbling sound.

 

I've heard that bad wheel bearings make a humming sound or a sound similar to a playing card put next to the spokes of a spinning bicycle wheel but is it possible for a bad bearing to make a wobbling noise? Could it be something more serious like a bent suspension piece due to someone curbing the wheels (the car drives straight and no other unusual noises or vibrations are present)? Any ideas would be appreciated.

[xt2005bonbon]

The hub could be wobbling a bit now. But this you could check when braking. Each time you brake, you would feel some pulsation in the pedal. I had that problem with the front left hub on my first outback. It was wobbling. Since the rotor was resting on it, it also started to wobble and then I started to feel it more and more each time I was using my brakes. Had to change hub+rotor.

Though it could also be as simple as a wobbling rim (not perfectly true anymore due to the hit you're describing). This may be more likely I'd think.

You may want to have the car lifted and get all wheels spinning and make a visual check. Just a thought.

[bakabakablah]

Hm, I'm not sure I'd be able to notice the pulsation of a bad hub since my brakes were already pulsating due to deposits on the rotor face (a result of a hilly commute). I'll definitely try to get the car on a lift and see how the rim is though... thanks for the input.

[xt2005bonbon]

Keep us posted. I'd be interested to know the reason for this wobbling issue you're having.

[bakabakablah]

Just an update. Still haven't been able to figure out where the noise is coming from, but I have a feeling that something is bent for sure. Washed the car for the first time since I got it back from the dealership a couple of weeks ago to find that in addition to the extensively curbed rims, the lower part of the bumper right behind the wheel is deeply gouged all the way into the plastic. I'm guessing one of the idiot techs reversed it at high speed and ran into/over something that screwed up both parts. And seeing as how the bumper is slightly recessed compared to the wheel, he had to have been going at a pretty good clip which means something must be bent...