any idea what this might be. can't be a cv axle right? the noise doesn't consistently occur however this has only since i got rear ended. yeah, i got rear ended. fortunately the guy had insurance; minimum damage occure just some cracking in my bumper; and he was contrite

 

Have you double checked that it's not the brakes? Can you determine if it's coming from the front or rear of the car?

 

def. coming from the front. i do need new rotors, but i don't know why there would be a noise when i turn right as opposed to depress the brake pedal

 

Well, disc brakes will always slightly touch the disc. The different forces of turning the wheel may slightly exacerbate the noise during some turns. In all honesty, if it's just the brakes it's not a big deal outside of how much the noise may annoy you. I'm kind of an exception to how much brake noise bothers me. I'd rather have superior pads and bite to silence. Often my brakes are a little squeaky until they warm up.

But, definitely check the depth of the rotors for wear, and verify how thick your pads are. Noise where there wasn't noise before warrants that much. But if both of those check out OK and the wheel still spins freely I don't think I'd worry if it were my car.