Im hearing a grinding noise coming from my front wheels, i think its the front driver side. Its rotational, sounds like a piece of metal grazing by another piece of metal as the wheel turns. Seems to quiet down when i brake, but still there. Took the wheel off and found this cracked part around this one stud, could this be it? Do I just need to replace that stud? And is it safe to drive til then?

 

That's a retainer to hold the brake disc in place. The metallic rubbing noise is something to do with the disc being worn and rubbing against the shield/guard, I had the same thing until I renewed the front discs and pads. Check that the shield hasn't been bent out of place.

 

A common cause of that kind of noise in any car is a small stone or similar trapped between the brake caliper and some part of the rotor or hub. Or the shield being bent and rubbing on the rotor, as above. Braking several times whilst reversing at a moderate speed can often dislodge the offending foreign body.

 

The shield behind the disc (rotor) is held on by two pop rivets. When one of these fails, the shield will rub on the disc causing a noise very similar to worn out brake pads. You need to remove the brake caliper, carrier and disc to replace the rivets, or you can tie the loose shield onto the knuckle next to the ball joint near the bottom/ rear side of the disc. This will keep the shield off of the disc until you need to replace the brakes due to wear. I did this using 30 Amp fuse wire and it’s still holding a year later.