What is a wheel bearing?
93Your mechanic says you need a wheel bearing, what's a wheel bearing? I will make this as easy as possible to understand using pictures, video, and my own interpretation of what a wheel bearing is, what its job is, where it's located and the noises it makes when it's damaged.
What is a wheel bearing?
A wheel bearing is exactly what it sounds like, it's a bearing for a wheel. What's a bearing you ask? It's a bunch of steel balls held together by a metal ring, which is called a race. There are many different styles bearings but are all very similar and all do the same job, they help something spin with very little friction like a wheel, turbine, or a carnival ride.
A wheel bearing on a car is a set of ball bearings that support the wheel and ride on a metal shaft which is called an axle shaft. The wheel bearing is located at the hub, the hub is located at the center of your wheel, when you are looking at a wheel on a car, the hub is located where the lug bolts come through the wheel. The lug bolts are pressed into the hub, and the wheel bearing is pressed into the hub as well, from the back side of the hub.
What does a wheel bearing do?
Wheel bearings are use on all kinds of vehicles from bicycles to aircraft and they all perform the same job, they allow the wheel to spin freely. Depending on the application, most wheel bearings are hardened steel and will withstand a lot of abuse. A wheel bearings worst 2 enemies are heat and water. Heat caused by lack of lubrication can destroy a wheel bearing, and water that penetrates the sealed bearing will destroy the wheel bearing as well.
Most wheel bearings manufactured today are sealed bearings, they come from the factory pressed together as an assembly, front race, bearing set, center race, bearing set and outer race with seals on both front and rear race. Bearings are sealed from the elements, water, and debris by a non penetrable seal that also seals in high temperature wheel bearing grease. When the seal is broken or damaged, the wheel bearing will fail and start making noise.
This is a wheel bearing noise
What kind of noises do wheel bearings make?
A wheel bearing noise gradually becomes louder with time and with speed, what I mean is when the seal is broken or damaged, the wheel bearing will not just start making a loud noise. At first, it will be a very faint noise and within a month, it will be very noticeable. When the wheel bearing is making a noticeable noise, the noise will be more obvious at faster speeds.
The noise that a wheel bearing makes is like the noise that your tires make when hitting a rumble strip on the highway, just not quite as loud, same noise at an 1/8 of the volume, or like the sound of playing cards in your bicycle spokes, remember that noise? It's a rotating noise and it will gradually get louder in time. The only fix for damage wheel bearing is to replace it. If a bearing is noisy, repacking it with grease will not make the noise go away.
How to Diagnose a Wheel Bearing Noise
 | Amazon Price: $164.97 List Price: $399.95 |
 | Amazon Price: $86.97 List Price: $199.95 |
 | Amazon Price: $21.95 |
How much does it cost to replace a wheel bearing?
Having a wheel bearing replace on your car is a bit expensive because of the labor involved. Bearings manufactured today are usually press into the hub, and if you drive a 4 wheel drive or a front wheel drive vehicle, it's just more parts to remove before you can get to the wheel bearing. Wheel bearing do not fail quick and usually give you some time before you need to have it replaced.
Bearing Removal/ Installation Tools
 | Amazon Price: $459.95 List Price: $712.50 |
 | Amazon Price: $628.00 List Price: $639.95 |
 | Amazon Price: $136.48 List Price: $169.99 |
How do I know it's a wheel bearing making the noise?
If you think you might have a wheel bearing noise, here is a tip on how to check it and to figure out which side of the car the noise is coming from. While driving down the road about 40mph, sway the car side to side slowly, this will shift the weight of the vehicle from one side to the other. Notice when the noise gets louder or softer. When the weight of the vehicle is on the side with the bad wheel bearing, the noise will be louder. Do not drive crazy and cause the car to spin out, it's a very subtle sway to the vehicle, just enough to shift the weight.
Be cautious, tires can make a noise very similar to a wheel bearing when the tires are chopped. The best way to find which wheel bearing is making noise is to raise the vehicle on a lift, have someone in the vehicle run it at about 40mph, using a long screwdriver or stethoscope, rest it on the hub near each wheel bearing, listen through the stethoscope or the handle of the screwdriver for the noise, I guarantee you will be able to determine which wheel bearing is bad.
I hope this article will help you with your question, "what is a wheel bearing?" noises are the hardest problems to diagnose on vehicles because you have to drive the vehicle in order to reproduce the noise, so take it easy on your mechanic if he spend too much time trying to chase down your noise. If you have any questions, please feel free to leave one in the comments box, I will answer it asap.
I have a favor to ask.
I need to ask you for a favor, if you found this information useful, please vote the article up, if you know someone who would benefit from this information, share it on Facebook or Twitter, it's easy, and I would really appreciate it. Just push the "Like" button or "Tweet" button at the top of the page. Thank you for all your help :)
Here are Some Related Articles Written by EddieCarrara
- Brake Noises, What Causes Brake Noises and How to Fix Them
I will cover 3 of the most common brake noises I encounter on a daily basis and try to shed some light on the repair. Some of the repairs I share with you here are not common and you will never find them in a service manual or TSB. - 4 Common Car Noises
There are 4 common car noises that drive a vehicle owner crazy. I will explain to you what they are and what you need to do to fix them. I will also tell you a little secret that you should know when buying a new car, you probably have never heard ab
vote upvote downshareprintflag
- Useful (97)
- Funny (1)
- Awesome (12)
- Beautiful (1)
- Interesting (18)
CommentsLoading...
Hey Shindokwan, The bearing needs to be pressed out and pressed in, plus you will have to cut the inner race off the hub. The DIY guy can do it but it takes special tools and a press. First you need to remove the hub assembly from the cars suspension, press out the center hub(where the lug nuts are) then remove the c-clip that holds the bearing in, then press out the remaining bearing. If you're not sure what you're doing you could damage the new bearing and costing you even more money. I have to change one on my daughters car this weekend and if I didn't have a press I would pay someone to do it, it's just my opinion. I make a hub on it by next Wednesday, It will be on a 99 Honda Accord but you'll have a good idea on what it takes to change it. I'll have pictures to explain every step and a possible video, a video just takes more time to edit than pictures. Book mark my page and come back next week.
Thanks for this! I'm trying to figure out if my noise is my rear wheel bearings or my tires. I have an 08 Subaru Outback, and Goodyear Assurance Tripletreds. The goodyears have about 45k on them, and the car has about 81k. I keep thinking it's the tires, because everyone is complaining about how loud they are, but now I'm thinking it could be a wheel bearing in the rear. Is there any way to distinguish between the two? It seems from what you've said, they are very common noises.
Hey Chris, Check out my other article at http://hubpages.com/t/2b3f3b, It has a video that might help you figure out where the noise is coming from. One way to know if it is your tires is to just look at them, if your tire has a chopped surface or an uneven tread pattern, it's very likely it's your tires, but check out that video first, I think it will help you a lot. Let me know how you make out, I would really appreciate it.
Hey Chris, I placed the video on this page, FYI. Let me know how you make out. Thanks
thanks very much, Eddie. i looked around quite a bit on the 'net before finding your diagnostic. very helpful!!! wish you were in humboldt.
is there a way to use the screwdriver to listen to the bearing assembly without getting underneath the car? i don't have a lift available to me, only jack stands.
Hi Tom, Yes, you can use jack stands but just be very careful, use the e brake if it's front wheel drive car to lock the rear wheels or chalk the front wheels for a rear wheel drive so the car doesn't fall off the jack stands. It's best to have a helper sit in the car and accelerate to about 40mph, use caution not to touch any spinning parts with the screwdriver, I have seen some screwdrivers take off like a rocket or worst kick back and hurt the mechanic. Let me know what you find or if you have any more questions, you know where to find me. Where is Humboldt?
Hi i was wondering do cars need wheel bearing on the front and back . Sometimes when i drive i hear a noise and if i hit a speed bump in the road i hear a noise that sounds something like something is moving. I was told that this could be a motor mount. I have a 05 altima. Can u email at tekeshajohnson@att.net w with a responce
Hi tekesha, Yes there are wheel bearings at all 4 wheels.
I highly doubt the noise you hear is a motor mount, a motor mount holds your motor and transmission to the frame of the car, sounds to me like you may have a suspension noise like a ball joint, strut, or sway bar links.
Rear sway bar links are common on Altimas, and when you hit a speed bump or dip in the road , you can hear it clunk. I'm not sure if this other article I wrote will help but it's worth checking out http://eddiecarrara.hubpages.com/hub/4-Common-Car-
If you have more details about the noise I might be more helpful so just ask me here in the comment box and then follow the tread, hope this helps :)
Hi! This is a great site for people like me who know very littel about car issues to get answers. I think that this is my cars issue but not sure. It shakes between speeds 50-63mph and it did not start until i received new front tires and new back tires 2 weeks prior to that. But it only happens in the front. Does that sound about right to you because everybody else say I need an alignment. Please help! Thanks!
Hi CK, No, that doesn't sound right, it sounds to me like the technician who mounted and balanced your new tires didn't do a good job. You should take it back to them and have the tires balanced again at no charge, it wasn't done right the first time and now the're wasting you time.
An alignment issue wont cause a vibration, an alignment issue will cause abnormal tire wear and could cause a pull to the left or right, if you have 5 minutes, read my article http://eddiecarrara.hubpages.com/hub/Steering-whee
If you have more questions, please feel free to ask and I will answer them asap :) Let me know what you decide to do, but don't pay to have your tires balanced again, you already payed once and it hasn't even been 30 days.
Hi Eddie, I had my front wheel bearing replaced recently after I heard the noise at only 40mph. In less than a month, I could hear the sound again. This indicates my wheel bearing need to be replaced right? So what is the probable cause to it? It only lasted few weeks. Now I have to pay for another replacement. Sigh~
Hey Nash, It only lasted a couple of weeks? I think it was installed wrong or the axle nut was not torqued properly, plus if is a reputable garage, you should have a 90 day warranty on parts and labor.
Are you sure it's the same wheel bearing? Noises travel inside a car and sometimes it's hard to determine where the noise is coming from. If it is the same one, the replacement of the parts and labor should be free, remember the squeaky wheel gets the oil. Let me know what happens, Oh, and don't wait to long before bringing it back, the sooner the better :)
Eddie, I brought my car back to the garage and now they found out that the hub need to be replaced as well. That is why the wheel bearing only lasted for few weeks. Well that's what they said. Is this true?
Hi Nash, here is some food for thought. If the hub was bad, why didn't they notice it when they were installing the first wheel bearing? There is no reason for the hub to go bad, unless they screwed it up themselves.
The hub is pressed into the bearing, unless the hub is cracked or broken, it should not effect the wheel bearing. Did you ask to see the hub so you could see the damage? Did they replace the hub?
I believe they screwed up and covered there hide by telling you the hub was damaged, otherwise they would have noticed the damage when they installed the new wheel bearing. Did you happen to see my other hub on how to install a wheel bearing? It might shed some light on how a wheel bearing is replaced.
I would ask to see the part's that were damaged, then have them explain why they didn't notice it when changing the first wheel bearing. I'm not sure, but it sounds a little fishy to me, Let me know what you find out.
Nash... there is a lot of money being spent here, don't just let it go. If you don't get any results from the service adviser, go to service manager, if you still don't get results, go to the general manager, still no results, speak to the owner. The squeaky wheel get's the oil. You work hard for you money, don't give it away!
Very interested read!Don't have a problem with my wheel bearing sin my car, thankfully bit your article was easy to understand on a subject I knew nothing about. Thanks!
Cool gogreentips, I'm glad you found it easy to digest, thank you for stopping by :)
really useful info here, was about to take a wheel off my car to try changing myself but am now thinking better of it!
Hello magicdust, unless you have the right tools, it could turn ugly. If you need answers to something tho, I can help :)
Hi, I recently purchased a 07 Nissan murano, as I drive I hear a turning noise that gets louder the faster I go. I can auctually feel and hear a rapid turning movement under my left foot as I'm driving. Does this sound like a wheel bearing problem? I took it to Nissan and that's what they said but I wanna make sure I'm getting a good diagnostic.
Thanks
Hi nminphilly, It sounds like a wheel bearing noise, did you listen to the wheel bearing noise in the video and compare it to your noise?
If all your tires look good, and the tread pattern looks smooth,(no high spots or uneven edges)most likely it's a wheel bearing. Let me know what the diagnosis is after you have it repaired, I would really appreciate it :)
Yes, the noise sounds the same. They had to order the part, I'll be sure to let you know how everything turns out!
OK Nminphilly, it's really good that you picked up on the noise, most people miss-take it for road noise or tire noise. Thanks for keeping me up to date, I really appreciate it :)
Hi Eddie. Great article. I have just had my wheel bearings replaced today on my rear driver side. on driving home, the noise came back and I thought 'WHAT!'. But it went after a few minutes. What was this and is this normal? They relaced everything as far as I'm aware!
Thanks in adance
Hello Gazzawazza :) The noise should not return at all, keep a close ear on it, if it comes back you should bring it back, asap. Take it for a good drive to make sure it gone, you might have drove on some pavement that causes a noise similar to a wheel bearing, like the rumble strips on the edge of the highway just not as pronounced. Keep me up to date with the noise, and If you have any other questions I'll be right here, take care :)
How long can you drive on a damaged or broken wheel bearing before it gets dangerous? and what will eventually happen to your car when youre driving over 65mph with a highly damaged wheel bearing? I'm nervous.
Hi Britney,
It all depends on what you mean by highly damaged. Is your wheel loose, or is the wheel bearing just making a lot of noise? Wheel bearings can last a long time when their noisy and never fail, but it's a good idea to have it checked. I have never seen a wheel bearing fail completely, but that doesn't mean they can't. Worst case scenario is your wheel will lock up and the car will not move, but if it happens while driving, it could cause you to crash, worst case.
I would definitely have it checked, you may not have to replace it right away but at least you will have an idea about how bad it really is. Let me know what you find out Britney or if you have any other questions I'll be right here.
Hi Eddie thanks for the reply!
Further to my previous comment and your advice, I have driven the car, but no noise! Although I am now paranoid and can't enjoy my driving. Any advice? Should I get it rechecked or to you think I am being over paranoid?
cheers in advance it is much appreciated
Hi Gazzawazza,
I recommend just driving it and keep your ear on it. You have a 90 day guaranty on labor, so do worry about it until you hear it again (if you hear it again) Wheel bearings either make noise or don't. I have never had a wheel bearing stop making noise after it started, it's impossible, that's why I think it was the pavement. If you have any more questions, you know where to find me :) Take care.
Hello Eddie,
Your information here is very helpful. And I thought I will also get some information. Well, my car makes no noise while driving on a highway but when making a right deep turn, there comes a creaking kind of noise. I thought it must be due to power steering fluid but is not. Can my case be one associated to bearings??? Thanks.
Hello Tashi,
Wheel bearing don't make any type of creak noises, creak noises are usually associated with suspension parts like; ball joints, strut mounts, bushings, and sometime brakes. In you situation, it could be anyone of these. What is the year, make, and model of the vehicle? I have two other articles that might help or might not, but they are worth mentioning, take a look at http://eddiecarrara.hubpages.com/hub/Brake-Noises-
and if that article doesn't help, take a look at http://eddiecarrara.hubpages.com/hub/4-Common-Car-
If you still need more information,I'll be right here waiting, take care for now :)
Hi Eddie,
Thanks for the information. Well my car is Nissan Pulsar 1998. I bought recently and I have no clues of its history. In addition to my query before, when turning sharply to the right, I feel like the tyre is rubbing to car body but is not. But when I turn left sharply, no noise comes. Would that mean my front left tyre and its parts need inspection immediately...is it dangerous to prolong checking???
Thanks.
Hi Tashi,
At what speed do you hear the noise? One thing you can check is the fender-well liner. Inside the front fender there is a plastic liner which protects the inside of the fender from water and debris from the road. Sometimes this plastic liner becomes dislodged and rubs on the tire on sharp turns.
The other thing you can check is possibly a rock stuck in the rotor backing plate, this would make a noise like someone dragging a fork across a tin pie plate, sometimes it's only heard on sharp turns as well.
Let me know if this helps and if you figure it out, come back and let me know what you find, I bet you fender liner is loose and it's rubbing on the tire :)Take care for now.
Thank you for your help. You're the go-to man! When my income tax comes back i'm fixing it. I'll let you know what it is.
Thanks Britney, I'm glad you feel that way, but if you guys didn't leave me any comments, no one would ever know I existed, so let's just say we make a great team :) I really appreciate you taking the time to update me on what you find, sometimes the readers don't find what they're looking for in the article, but they find it in the comments you leave, and that's awesome. Take care for now, I'll talk to you after the IRS hands over your cash,lol :)
Our 92 k5 blazer has an issue on the drivers side. Both cv axles were just replaced but a popping sound at the drivers side wheel contines. At a crawl in drive and reverse, every 1/2 second there is a loud pop accompanied by the whole wheel jumping with each pop. Is this a shot bearing or hub?
Hello Armywife,
My question is, when do you hear this pop? Are you driving on dry pavement or is it heard while driving on dirt. 4x4s make all kinds of noises while driving on dry pavement, in fact it's not recommended because it put a lot of strain on the drive-train.
I don't think it either, bearings make a growling noise like in the video, if the whole wheel is jumping, it's possible the axle wasn't put in properly or you have a ball joint issue, it's really hard to say without seeing or hearing it.
Make sure the axle in installed properly or bring it back to the mechanic who did the work, he might be able to tell you right away, what's causing the noise. Let me know what you find, I'm curious to know if I'm on the right track. Thanks :)
Dry pavement in 2wd. My husband installed the cv axles himself. The popping was there before the axles were replaced. They were shot for sure. It seems to me somehing catches then releases. And its at 5mph max. Maybe it is a ball joint issue because when I drove it before this all happened I didn't hear that growling whine. The additional symptom today is the truck won't idle forward, its catching then when you press the gas the wheel pops and continues for 4 or 5 revolutions then stops but the catching issue is still there if that makes sense
Hi Armywife,
It sounds like something possible in the hub, maybe the hub is not engaging completely or possible the spider gear in the front diff is worn. Do you get the noise when the truck is jacked and you spin the wheel by hand? If you can reproduce it like that,try to pinpoint if the noise is coming from the diff or the hub.
Check out this video I found, I know this hub make more noise than yours does because yours is every 4-5 revolutions, but your hub could be in the beginning stages of this hub problem.http://youtu.be/orqEUC4U1ao
Let me know if this helps, if not, I'll do more research.
Thank you for taking the time to provide this informative aritcle.
Today I took my car to the mechanic to have the brakes replaced and I was told about the wheel bearing and it made sense to me because I had been hearing the noise for a long time on my 2004 Infiniti FX 45, but I thought it was the tires making the noise. Is the wheel bearing considered wear and tear? I bought an extended warranty thru my insurance company since I bought the car used, but the insurance doesn't cover wear & tear.
Hello Evieroy,
Tire noises and wheel bearing noises are very similar and are misdiagnosed often.
No, I don't believe a wheel bearing is wear and tear and it should be covered under your extended warranty. Wear and tear items are things like brakes, tires, spark plugs, and air filters.
A wheel bearing can last the life of the car and never have to be replaced, unless it becomes damaged physically, like in an accident or if moisture enters the seal in the bearing area, then causes the bearing to rust. So call your insurance company and file a claim, you should be covered.
Thanks for the question, if you have any other questions, pleas feel free to ask, and if you have time, could you come back after you call your insurance company and let me know how it worked out? Thanks so much, take care for now :)
If I don't have a press would it be easier to just buy the hub instead of the wheel baring?
Hi Wes,
If the new hub comes with a wheel bearing already installed , Yes, but I'm not sure if they come assembled like that, I guess it would depend on the manufacturer.
If you bring the hub assemble to a garage, you could just pay a mechanic to press out the old bearing and install the new one, it shouldn't cost to much, you will have done most of the labor. Let me know what you decide to do, and thanks for the question.
Hi Eddie - I have a 2006 Honda CRV. About 2 months ago, I took my car in for service -- to have my tires rotated. After this service, I noticed that my steering wheel would shake really bad when I drove above 50 mph on the highway. Also, there was a very loud grinding noise that I had not heard before. I took the car back to the Honda service center and they said the technician couldn't find anything wrong; but suggested that it "might" be a wheel bearing problem. They also said that it would cost over $400 to fix it; but they can't promise me that replacing the wheel bearing would solve the problem. I told them that I would be in touch and I left. I don't want to spend over $400 on a hunch! I did notice that the steering wheel was no longer shaking like it had been before. What do you think about all this? I'm at a loss and I'm really disappointed and frustrated. I purchased my car from this Honda dealer 5 years ago; and I have rarely missed a service appointment in those 5 years. Now, I'm feeling very distrustful of this company -- seeing that I didn't have the problem before I took my car in to have the tires rotated; but now I have a problem that will cost $400 plus to fix. NOTE: The Honder service technician agrees that my tires are fine.
Hello everything,
What I think is that the technician brought the car back in and balance your front tires (I recommend always balancing tires when rotating, it cost a few bucks, but you don't have these problems)
You didn't say if the grinding noise was gone after he looked at it a second time. I think the grinding noise was the metal dust cover behind the front brake rotor, sometimes when removing the wheels the metal cover gets bent and rubs on the rotor causing a tin scraping/ grinding noise, all the tech needs to do is bend the dust shield back out of the way and your good to go.
I am 99.9% sure it's not a wheel bearing, (did you watch the video and listen to the wheel bearing noise?)and a good tech wont tell you it "might" be the cause, either it is or not!
I would go back or call the dealership and talk to the service manager, tell them you are unhappy with the guessing game,and if you don't get anywhere with the service manager talk to the general manager. It's sounds like you have a great service history at that dealership, and if there smart, they don't want to lose you as a customer. Let me know what the outcome is, or if you need more advice I'll be right here :)
Great article. That noise was driving me crazy! I don't plan doing this job myself but at least my Garage will not be able to bamboozle me. Incidentally the noise was loud enough for me to know it was the back wheels.
Hey Neil,
That's great, I'm glad I could help. Wheel bearings are very difficult to diagnose because the noise seem to echo throughout the vehicle. As you can see by some of the other comments, inexperienced mechanics like to guess at what a wheel bearing sounds like and it ends up costing the customer more money because of the guessing game.
Changing out a wheel bearing is also a bit difficult if you don't have the right tools, so yes, leave it to an experienced mechanic. If I can help you in any other way, just let me know, thanks for the compliment as well, take care Neil.
Hi Eddie
My car started with the noise you have explained last week and today I have taken it to the garage to fix it, but they told me that the parts have to be ordered and are not sure when the part will arrive. I drive 140 kilometers a day from home to work a return trip. I just want to know if it will be safe for me to use this car from now on until the parts have arrived, which I am assumming that they will arrive next week.
Hello Lebo,
Yes I'm sure you'll be fine, wheel bearings don't usually fail (I have never seen one fail) completely. My daughter drove her car with a noisy wheel bearing for 6 months, the noise progressively got louder but that's it. Good question :) let me know how you make out, take care Lebo.
Hey it's Britney again, i got both wheel bearings fixed because they say if one is damaged you should fix the other also, so thats what i did and there is no more noise and the drive is a lot better. I noticed now that my car is shaking on the interstate though? def didnt do that before?! lol, Ya think it's maybe the alignment out of wack?
Hi Britney,
I should have warned you about that, if one wheel bearing is bad, you should replace both tactic, a lot of garages will do that to up sell work, you should never have to replace both just because one is bad, it's not the way it works.
Anyway, I recommend going back to them or calling them and letting them know your car has a vibration since they did the work, it could be something they did wrong and it should be checked. NO, it's not an alignment, you will probably need to have your tires balanced, read this article and you will have a better understanding, http://eddiecarrara.hubpages.com/hub/Steering-whee Let me know what happens, and don't let them talk you into any unnecessary work, you already spent enough money. Take care for now :)
BTW, everything is running fine since the hub was replaced. No catching, no noises.
Hey armywife,
Thanks for coming back to give me an update, so did the video help at all or did you just decide to replace the hub? Just curious :) Glad to hear everything is OK.
Thanks for your article. Wish I had read it BEFORE I replaced my tires. Does bad bearings affect gas mileage? Seems like it would. AND thanks for mentioning not to let them "upsell." I have an appointment Monday to get the bearings fixed.
Hi Linda,
A bad bearing will not usually cause poor gas mileage, but bad tires could. When a wheel bearing is bad, the bearing spins more freely, I know it sounds weird but when a bearing is bad, it because there is too much clearance between the ball bearings and the race, so it's not a tight fit. There is more to it than that but that's is the general idea.
As far as the up-sell part, A lot of mechanics will say "if you replace one front bearing you should replace them in sets" NOT!!! If that was the case, why not replace all 4?
A well bearing is noisy because of damage, or a broken seal, not because of wear and tear, so there is no reason to replace them in pairs unless their both noisy.
I have always tried to save money for my customers, I've learned cars will always need maintenance, an if my customers trust me, they will come back to me, I don't need to up-sell unnecessary work. Let me know how it goes on Monday Linda,take care for now :)
Hi Eddie
I replaced the 2 front wheel bearings of my Nissan Xtrail in Jan 2011 (41,000km) at Nissan's workshop. Now, April 2012 (53,000 km) they say the bearing needs to be replaced again saying that its because of my low mileage, the bearings are worn out. Sounds absurd to me. What's your take on it?
What are the possible causes of bearing failure and how often does it happen in city driving conditions?
Hi Xtrail,
I'm glad you stopped by and asked this very question. Your car could sit for years in a barn and never have a wheel bearing problem. There is no such thing as low mileage bearing failure!!!
Why do they say your wheel bearings are worn? Do you have a noise? Or is there play in the bearing? I would definitely get a second opinion before spending any money with that mechanic/shop. In my opinion, the mechanic who install it made a mistake. Bearings can last the life of a car, and most do. The 3 things that cause a wheel bearing to fail is; improper installation, a broken bearing seal, and damage, like from a accident.
Let me know what happens on your second opinion or talk to the service manager, something is not right and it's not low mileage bearing failure,lol, that's BS!
Take care Xtrail, I'll wait to hear back from you :)
The workshop is our country's only Nissan Dealership.
I actually got an inital assessment from another workshop which said it was a wheel bearing problem. The Nissan Dealer just confrimed it.
Even my observation tally's with the symptoms/sound that you described in your article (great article by the way).
Anyway, my problem was why only after 15 months (12,000 km) the problem is back. You're right about bearings lasting a very long time, my 1990 Honda Accord which if memory serves me right never had its bearings changed.
I managed to confront the Nissan Dealer service manager, he said the bearings are rusty and the best help is a 50% discount on the total bill. Putting things in perspective, that's a minor issue.
My main worry is what if it happens again soon. I need to find the cause. Could prolonged driving with faulty shock absorbers cause the bearing to fail?
Thanks Eddie.
Hi Xtrail,
I believe it was due to poor installation, a bearing seal can be broken very easily during installation and I know that's what happened, problem is, you cant prove it, and it takes a long time before you have any signs of wear and tear.
How does the manager know the bearings are rusty? Did you already replace them?
No, bad shocks/struts will not cause bearings to fail, just the three things listed above.
The manufacturer should have a one year warranty on parts, just keep an ear on the bearings.
Keep in mind, the manager would not have given you a discount if he thought there was no responsibility on his part. 50% on parts and labor is huge, so at least you got that.
Thanks for all your feedback on this problem, it helps when other people see what happens in the real world, it helps them realize there not alone :) Take care for now Xtrail, and if I can help with anything else, I'll be right here :)
Education/information helps a lot and gives you confidence (esp with rip-offs in the motor repair industry), thanks a million Eddie.
Yes Xtrail, knowledge is power. If you or someone you know, ever needs help understanding something, you know where to find me :)
Does my astra sxi 52 plate have 4 wheel bearings or just two. thanks margaret
Hello Margaret,
There is a wheel bearing at each wheel, the wheel bearing is the mechanism that allows the wheel to spin on the axle or spindle. You looked for this article, what is your real concern? Does you car have a noisy wheel bearing? Or is your mechanic trying to sell you something that doesn't sound right? Let me know Margaret, maybe I can clear things up for you :)
I was told that I needed to replace my wheel bearings on my 2004 Buick Rendevoux because when I step on my brake to slow down, the front of the car has a slight shimmy and I can feel it on the steering wheel when I slow down to get off the highway onto an exit. Did I get the right information?
Hi Donna,
No that is not correct, the reason you feel a brake pulsation in your steering when applying the brake while exiting a the highway, is because your front rotors are out of true (warped). You will either have to replace the rotors or resurface the rotors.
The mechanic will have to measure the thickness of the rotors to determine if they are thick enough to resurface, if not, you will need to replace them. Let me know what happens Donna, and if you have any other questions, please don't hesitate to ask :)
Im glad to know my mechanic seems like he can be trusted because this helped me follow up on what he said was wrong with my car and he is exactly right. Your knowledge and information helped me learn somethings about what it was and what needed to be done... and the actual footage was really helpful! Thank you.
You're very welcome Ateerys, I'm glad I could help,and thank you for the comment :)
What could happen if you don't get it fixed right away?
Hello Abrown,
If you don't repair a wheel bearing right away, it usually continues to get louder, I have never seen one fail completely but I know it does happen. Just to give you an idea on how long it will last, my daughter drove on a noisy wheel bearing for about 6 month, the noise wasn't that loud so I just kept an ear on it till we had time to replace it, just remember, a mechanics car gets worked on last, lol. Hope this answers your question :)
I,ve just been told my front wheel bearing drivers side needs replacing.The car is a vauxhall astra 2010 its only done 34K miles and still under Vauxhall,s 3 year manufacters warranty,this seems very soon for it to go what do you think ? it doesn,t bode well for the rest of the car.
Hi Phil,
I really wouldn't worry about the rest of the car being tainted because of a bad wheel bearing, each part or your car is from a different vendor or manufacturer, remember the recall Ford had with their tires a few years back? It didn't mean the Ford product was junk, just the tires they used, same thing with your wheel bearing, it could have been a bad batch of wheel bearings, at least it's still under warranty :)
Thanks eddie lets hope everything else is fine then because apart from this problem the cars been ok at least it puts your mind to rest when you speak to someone who knows what their talking about once again thanks Phil.
Sure Phil, you're very welcome, if you have any other concerns about your car, you know where to fine me, take care :)
Question on determining on which side the bearing is bad.
When I turn to the right, the noise diminishes, nearly goes away. When turning to the left it remains. Does that mean it's the left bearing that needs replacement?
I listened to your video and that's the noise exactly. I gets worse as speed increases, much louder.
Hi Pat,
Wheel bearings are very tricky because there is an inner and outer bearing and race, but what you described sounds like it's your left wheel bearing. The only way to be absolutely sure is to have the wheels jacked up off the ground and jack stands under the vehicle,then run the wheel speeds up to about 40mph, stand next to the wheel as it's spinning, you should be able to determine which wheel bearing is faulty.
Good luck Pat, and if you have any other questions, I'll be right here :)
Hi-
Your article and comments have been very informative, thank you. I have a Dodge Dakota (1998) and just found out the front right wheel bearing needs replaced. Should I replace both? The mechanic only said the one and he already wants $600 for that, ouch. I'm going to call around for other prices but I wanted your advice first. Thanks
Hi Kristen, thank you :)
It's great you're getting a second quote, $600 seems a bit high, you should be able to find someone to replace it for half that price.
To answer your question, no, you don't need to replace both wheel bearings if one has failed, I just wrote an article about that very question, if you're interested in reading it, you can find it at http://www.simple-car-answers.com/Car-Wheel-Bearin
If you have any other questions, I'll be right here, and after you get it fixed, if you have time could you come back and let me know how much it cost, thanks Kristen.
Great presentation! I am an engineer, and thought you have done a great job of explaining some technical aspects that many may find hard to comprehend. This is a virtual "bible" on wheel bearings.
Cool gogreentips, I'm glad you found it easy to digest, thank you for stopping by :D
Hello Prakash Dighe,
Thank you, it is very humbling for someone with your knowledge to leave a comment like that, now I know I have done my job well :)
Honda Element, 2005, 4wd, sounds like cards are in the bike spokes noise...but its sporadic. can't seem to find a pattern at all...is it possible it could still be a ball bearing issue? its definitely coming from the front passenger side.
Hi Lindsay,
When do you usually hear the noise? Is it when your turning, on the highway, city driving, getting off the highway off ramp?
Wheel bearing noises are consistent, they may get a bit louder when putting more pressure on it like when making a slight turn when changing lanes on the highway.
I would look to see if the tire is hitting the wheel well splash shield, sometimes the splash shield in the wheel well will come loose and it will hit the tire causing a noise like you described. Let me know if you have more info, and could you update me when you figure it out, check that splash shield, I just have a hunch :)
I'm tempted to bring it to you to figure it out!!! the mechanics have checked the breaks, tires, all the cables are tight....it started when we hit a big pothole one day. there's no consistency, it starts at about 20mph and then the faster the car goes, the faster the "card in bike spokes" sound is, until its like a flutter....then when you decelerate, it gets louder and louder.....and slower and slower until you come to a complete stop. by that point everyone is looking at our car because the noise is soooo loud, more like ca-clunk, ca-clunk. there's no pattern to when it starts off, we can go two weeks without a noise and then its like an every day thing....I've gotten underneath to look for "caught" things....but no luck :(
Hi Lindsay,
If you live near NH, I'll have a listen :)
So you can hear this noise outside the car as well as inside?
And you checked the fender well liners on all 4 wheel wells?
It's not a tin scraping noise like a rock rubbing against a tin pie plate?
Hi,
I took my car in for an oil change and tire rotation and the mechanic noticed something funny about my front tire when he spinned it..it was making a noise as you described so he took it for a drive and came back and said the wheel bearing needed to be replaced and it would be cheaper to buy the whole hub assembly than trying to press out the hub because there could be damage..unbeknownst to me, i had no idea I had a bad bearing but they knew I was taking a trip with my car and they said unless I got that fixed, they would recommend not taking the car on this trip. It cost more for the labor than the whole assembly but I'd rather be safe and I read all your articles and it seems that they did the right thing. Thank you for posting your articles..they ar every informative...I have a 1999 Saturn SC-2 with 203,000 miles and it has been a great car..I take care of it with oil changes, tire rotations etc.
Hi Gayle,
Well I'm glad you found what you're looking for, and thank you for the comment :)
Changing a wheel bearing on a car with that kind of mileage can get a bit scary, you never know what you'll find once you get it apart. As long as you happy with the service, that's all that matters, plus you have peace of mind knowing it's fixed. Keep up the good car maintenance and you could get another 100k miles out of it. Take care Gayle, and thanks again :)
shindokwan 6 months ago
Thanks for the input on the wheel bearings! I have a 2000 ford escort and I think this is my problem. It gets louder the faster I go til about 50MPH which is the loudest, it actually gets a bit quieter faster than 50. I plan on doing the work myself and was wondering how hard it is to get the old bearing off of the hub to install the new one. I am aware the new one needs to be pressed into the hub but how do you get the old one out?