Would a faulty bearing make a squeak

[CarbonBlackM5]

I have heard a bearing drone when they are knackered but do they squeak/churp?

My front drivers side wheel makes a squeaking sound when driving, it also does it when going over man hole covers etc. It has just had a new track rod and lower arm and no other comments were made about the suspension by Munich Motors or BMWorx when the car was there of late.

Its not the brakes because applying doesnt stop the noise.

Any ideas?

Edited by CarbonBlackM5 on Friday 2nd July 16:49

[Z3M Roadster]

I have registered because i have been experiencing a similar issue myself and thought i might be able to help. Don't rule out the brakes altogether, because after talking to a BMW technician last week he described this as simply a build up of grit/dirt(i have a dusty dirt track to negotiate) and that a simple stripping down and cleaing of the brake components would solve the issue. It is evidently common on M cars over 7/8 years old. I can best discribe it as an almost metal on metal scraping sound that becomes more evident after the car has covered maybe 10 miles. It is more prominent on the straight ahead, but also can be heard more faintly when braking too. For the life of me it sounds like my pads are totally worn down and the metal is touching, but after checking on numerous occasions my pads and disks still have plenty of life left in them.
I hope this helps, mine is going into BMW next week to have the work done and it's not expensive either.

[CarbonBlackM5]

Im not sure because it had new discs and pads all round not long ago. I went to Brighton and back on Saturday so they got plenty of use and the noise is still there.

[oli_quick]

if it is specifically going over bumps (speed bumps, pot holes etc) could well be the pig tail on the front spring....

E46 springs are notorious for failing...

[CarbonBlackM5]

Thats the thing, its often continuous or it can be quiet and then squeak over a bump. It doesnt happen at slow speeds, more over man hole covers and pot holes.

[Conian]

Not a BMW owner so non-model-specific advice only from me.

I had a squeak on the weekend which turned into a continuous squeal, I too suspected a bearing, but investigation found crud in the brakes.
Whipped off the caliper, brushed the crud out, reassemble and all is well.