Volkswagen: Noise in right front tire, cv joints, vw passat

Question
Hi there. We have a 99 VW Passat i4 Turbo. Recently the dealership told us the CV joints would need replaced soon and quoted almost $2,000. Since then there has been a knocking noise in the right front tire, increasing with speed, along with a suspension squeak over bumps, both of which got severly worse over a few months.

We took it to our mechanic who said only the right front CV joint and a rocker arm (I think, some kind of arm) needed replaced and did it for $300 with some other maintenance. The knock is quieter but still apparent, and the squeak is unchanged. The mechanic has no idea what the knock could be and the dealership wants allot of money to diagnose it. I inspected the brakes and they appear intact, so I doubt that is it.

We think the squeak is just the springs/shocks but haven't had it looked at, not a big deal - but the knock is a bit scary. Any ideas on what it could be?

Also - the passenger airbag cover has popped up slightly, and the dealership wants to replace it for $400 and labor. Is it safe for me to just open it all the way then pop it back in place?

Thanks so much!

Answer
it sounds like general suspension wear, check all the ball joints on the front arms ( all 8). any play will cause a knock. the anti roll bar links are also prone to wear, which are also ball joints. the creak is likely to be the lower straight arm on the creaking side, and would need replacing. (the ball joints begin to seize and cause a creak) the air bag is located about 25mm behind the dash, i am not sure if the cover can be removed and refitted or not. but if so, it should not affect the airbag.