How serious should we take minor sounds

Can some one comment on how serious we should take minor sounds coming out of the vehicle.. some one said that u should take seriously even a minor sound ...
I have a Suzuki 2000
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It is kind of difficult to say how serious you should take minor sounds. An experienced mechanic will develop a skill for attributing importance to different sounds.

Some things that help me attribute importance are:

1: The type of sound ie clicking rubbing, grinding etc.

2: Where the sound appears to be originating from ie the engine compartment, right front wheel area, left rear wheel area, dash etc.

3: When does the sound occur ie when turning left, only when braking, only when cold etc.

4: Does the sound occur consistently every time a certain set of conditions are met or is it an intermittent sound.

5: Are there any vibrations or smells associated with the sound.

In general I place much more importance on grinding sounds than I do on ticking or rubbing noises and I place more importance on a sound that has a shake or vibration associated with it or a smell associated with it. In other words a grinding noise that makes the car shake and has a burnt smell associated with it would be a high priority.

 

While it's nice to have a vehicle with no unusual sounds, I concern myself more with identifing the sound [or cause] so I can assess how important it is to rectify it. Some sounds can be no more than a minor nuisance but others may need quick attention so the repair doesn't grow into big $

 

How would a person even know if their sound was a "minor" one, as opposed to a major one, if they did not already understand the various sounds cars can make?

 

I remember a high-pitched whine in my Camry when I revved the engine; sounded trivial but it wasn't. It was the bearing on the alternator pulley shaft going South.
So - it wouldn't hoit t' have it checked, better than having a failure at 5PM on the Cross-Bronx X-way......

 

Agreed. Distributor shaft bearings and timing belt tensioner bearing noises may sound like a nuisance. But one will leave you stranded and the other can lead you to needing an engine.

As a side note if you are taking your car to a shop for a noise complaint, insist on someone at the shop driving with you to hear the specific noise you are concerned about. The guys at the shop don't drive your car every day and will likely fix whatever noise they hear and not necessarily the one you are concerned about or if they can not figure it out will simply say they could not hear the noise.