B.B. wrote:
> A couple of days ago my front left corner began to creak and squeak.
> Quite a lot, actually. It's noisy both when bouncing the corner of the
> car and when steering side-to-side, so I figure a ball joint of some
> sort.
> So, here's the question: is this merely noise, or is it (I'm afraid)
> a symptom of a joint beginning to grind itself away and asking for
> replacement?
> '97 Honda Accord, a little over 100,000 miles on it.
>

Creaks can often come from bushings that have deteriorated. I recently
put new dampers and springs on my '91 Civic and it is still creaky. I am
going to replace all the bushings (many are literally rotting & falling
apart), but its going to be a gradual process because it is a lot of
work. I would think dry ball joints will fail pretty quickly, so check
them for play in the near future.

Mark