[john70t]

Closer to a decade ago I'd bounced off a curb on sheet ice leaving the dog park.
(they put in an annoying roundabout with no purpose)
Bought a couple aftermarket wheels, new tires. Drove fine after. Then I forgot all about it.

About five or six years ago I got the transmission fluid changed at the local dealership. Drove down to Fort Wayne for Christmas right after. About 3 hours. Close to home the pedal went to the floor once because low fluid. I limped if back very slowly. Service manager was a jerk. Didn't know the difference between hot/cold fill lines. "don't see any metal". Etc. After that I got the trans fluid changed elsewhere. Considered all options. Should have made a fuss then and there.

Seemed to drive ok for a while but then started developing a small whine while driving.
(The dealership had closed and changed owners.)

The car also developed a 'pulsing' when turning as if from a weak pump. It would turn and then seem to 'float' and then start to turn again. Odd.
Fluid was black and old. Changed it w/lock to lock flush. Then again with thicker Royal Purple.
That seemed to go away.

The 'transmission' still had the high pitched sound when driving.
Brakes felt like they were dragging a little from sitting but otherwise it felt okay.

I lent it for um a little while to the nurse who had helped us so much. She lived in the sticks with her KIA in the shop for a second blown engine. She eventually returned it with a new noise from the front exhaust. It looked like the front doughnut gasket (manifold to pipe) was busted. And now it sounded like a freight train. Loud can of bolts being shaken. And the steering was squirrely despite fairly new ball joints and tie rods. Did her kids trash my vehicle? The car was falling apart.

The critical symptom was the noise and slop all went away under braking.

Just had new front brakes put on yesterday, but neither the trusted mech or the owner with a test drive could 'hear anything out of the ordinary' despite my insisting. Getting deaf. Maybe he didn't want to. IDK. I didn't diagnose it either. It was a Toyota with under 100k miles so the thought hadn't crossed my mind. I was stuck on transmission problems.

At the muffler shop they put on a new cat and said there was a bad FR wheel bearing..the wheel I'd smacked long ago.

Got the car back today and it drives like brand new again.
No drive train noise even on the highway.
Steering solid.

*Wheel bearing gremlin found and destroyed.*