To summarize. Been hearing the noise for months. Took car in a month ago and had the front pads replaced. Still makes noise. Maybe, but not sure, the noise is a bit louder. Took it back to the shop and they inspected the left front brake and didn't find anything unusual.

Could they have put in the wrong type of pads or something? A suggestion that I received this morning is that the retaining clip could be loose, missing or damaged. Does this make sense?