In the last month or so I keep hearing a rubbing sound coming from the passenger side while in motion (driving not braking).
I thought possibly the brake pads and rotor as the source/culprit. Rotors are new 1 year and pads are new two years. I decided to rotate my wheels to check on a continuous slight vibration I've been having in the steering wheel at around 60mph, ever since I bought the car which is another issue. While the wheel was off I eyeballed the pad thickness and saw sufficient padding. But the sound continues. I'm now thinking if it might have anything to do with the sliding pins. But when I replaced the rotors a year ago, I verified that the sliding pins when freely moving. In fact I had purchased sil-glyde but didn't feel the need to apply since the pins were good.
Anny suggestions as to what the sound may be.

 

If you have a rolling noise then its something to do with what is in motion. Does the noise change if you hit the brakes, maybe it goes away when you do? If so, then this indicated it is something in your brake rotor/pad/caliper etc making noise. For starters, what brakes did you put on? Factory rotors and pads or drilled/slotted rotors? You can also jack your car up and rotate each wheel on that side in neutral until you find which wheel it is coming from then go from there. Make sure you check inside/outside pads, make sure your wear indicator tab is not bent as well as the brake hardware(metal pieces that the pad sits in in the caliper bracket) sometimes people bend the tab and it can touch the rotor and make a noise. Very easy to diagnose if your experienced. If you lived in Dallas id tell you to swing by!

 

Check the rotor splash shield, sometimes it gets bent out of shape and rubs against the rotor.

Just bend it back if it is.

 

Thanks for the responses. Three years ago I had replaced the front brakes with Akebono ACT787. Then one year ago I replaced the front rotors with CENTRIC Part #120.40046 Premium Rotor. I also had purchased CENTRIC Part #30907870 StopTech Street Performance pads but when I took the Akebono brakes off, they were in excellent and thick padding condition. So I decided to keep the Akebono pads with the new Centric rotors. All were fine for the past few months. Then I had the car parked in the driveway for about two months. Wasn't driven for summer. Then I started driving the car in the last few weeks and then I would hear this rubbing/sanding sound as I'm driving (car in motion). It appears to be coming from the passenger side front wheel. When I brake, sound stops.

I'll jack the car up again (front end) and remove both wheels and brakes. But before I remove the wheels, I'll do as NBP_Baller suggests, set in neutral and rotate tire and see if I can pin-point where or what is making the sound.

As a side note. Even after I rotated the wheels, I'm still getting a slight vibration in the steering wheel. I figured that two things could be causing it, wheel needs balancing or wheel bent. But I took the two rear wheels and placed them forward and still the vibration. Usually at 60mph. BTW, this issue has existed since the day I purchased the car. And yes, I did take it back to the dealer many times when the car was under warranty.

 

After sletting a vehicle sit the rotors will start to rust and the brakes will need to be driven on to get the rust off. This will go away though. The issue with the steering shaking is due to something out of round or balance. You might have a bad tire(seperated tread, bubble in sidewall or an out of round tire) or have a wheel that is bent. Take it to a tire shop and have a roadforce balance done. Thats where I would start.

 

At first I thought it might be the rust. But that has faded away. I'll jack up the car this weekend and remove both front wheels.
In reference to the slight vibration in the steering wheel. Ever since I purchased the car, I've had it. I've taken the car back to the dealership numerous times. Most recently I had the two front tires worn to the point that they will not pass annual inspection. I argued why would my two front tires worn out so fast for a car that only has 36k on it. I had to call Bridgestone and Corporate since the car is out of warranty. I argued that if the dealership was rotating my tires as they said they were each time I brought it in why would the two front tires wear so fast. Bridgestone questioned if they were really rotating the tires. Corporate picked up 20% of the cost of the tires, Michelin Primacy MXM4. With the two new tires on, I still got the slight vibration, hence why I decided to move the wheel to the rear. After doing that I still get the slight vibration. So I'm asking myself, if it isn't an issue with the tires and the wheels plus I have new rotors on, what could it be.

 

There is a slim chance your wheel hub is warped. If the wheel and tires are not worn, something else is causing it. Check your hub with the brakes off with a dial indicator and if thats good then you may have a bent axle of something from the factory... Rule things out to point you where you need to go. Take it to another dealer if you cant find the problem. Go to a reputable dealer and if you have history of multile bring backs, then they should policy, cover, it.