How totell whichwheel bearing is badwhile driving

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Wheel bearings can’t be seen, and thus, not much attention is really given to them. But they’re there, and they’re important. Every time you use your car, the wheel bearing inside the hub takes the entire weight of your car, its occupants, and whatever cargo you’re carrying.

Andrea Richard is a writer and editor with nearly 15 years of experience crafting content for a variety of industries. In writing for Jerry, Andrea’s mission is to deliver relatable and informative content so readers can better understand the costs associated with car ownership and car leasing. A native Floridian and a road trip enthusiast, Andrea first learned to drive on a Honda Accord when CDs were still a thing. She has served on the Society of Professional Journalists Florida board of directors and volunteers as a judge for national journalism contests. Her work has earned several awards for feature writing, investigative reporting and branded content campaigns.

Frontwheel bearingnoise symptoms

There are two ways to tell if your bearings have gone bad: by sound or through a wheel wiggle test. Check them out below:

How totell whichwheel bearing is badin the front

If a mechanic determines that any of your wheel bearings are worn out, you’ll want to have them replaced as soon as possible to avoid further damage to your vehicle.

Your vehicle’s make and model, the type of bearings and parts used, labor rates, and where you have it serviced all factor into the cost you’ll pay for a wheel bearing replacement.

The subject of wheel bearings is already rather deep in the subject of car maintenance. Ordinarily, we just cover simple topics like tuneups and oil changes. But if you intend to keep your car for a decade or more—or drive it more than 100,000km—you’ll need to learn about this part.

Sometimes, the wear and the friction create an audible sound that’s much like tire noise or the howling of wind. The sound comes on quite gradually that you barely notice it. What you do notice is that your car isn’t as quiet as it was as when it was new.

Hub style wheel bearings, the most common version used in modern vehicles, cost around $80 to $300 each. Don’t be alarmed if your mechanic says you need a new hub assembly, as this just means that the wheel bearings were installed inside the hub assembly at the factory, making it one complete part.

Road conditions like potholes, speed bumps, dirt, and sand can wear down the seal over time. Wheel bearings are designed to last a long time, often more than 100,000 miles, and don’t require routine maintenance. But once they show signs of wearing out, you’ll want to replace them as soon as you can get your car to a mechanic. The cost will vary depending on several factors, so call a few shops and ask for an estimate for the replacement for your vehicle’s make and model—and don’t delay getting it replaced.

To check if bad suspension parts are the source of wiggle, you’ll need to observe the ball joint and the tie-rod end behind the wheel as you perform the wiggle test. Have someone look behind the wheel as you do perform the test again. If there’s no movement seen in the ball joint or the tie-rod end, you definitely have a bad wheel bearing that needs replacement on that wheel.

Badrearwheel bearingsymptoms

Wheel bearings are a workhorse. They are crucial to your vehicle’s steering, handling and suspension because they join the wheel to the axle, enabling it to turn with limited friction. Replacing one wheel bearing can cost $350 or more on average in parts and labor, which means replacing all four in your car could cost more than $1,400.

Average life ofwheelbearings

Grease and a seal are crucial for protecting a wheel bearing. The seal keeps the grease clean from dirt and moisture. If it begins to deteriorate, the grease can become compromised, which may cause the wheel bearing to overheat and become faulty.

Worn-out or damaged wheel bearings cannot be repaired and instead need to be replaced, ideally by a professional mechanic.

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Once the condition of your front or rear wheel bearings breaks down, your tires will wear out faster and can do so unevenly. Braking issues can occur. You also risk having your wheels lock up, which could lead to axle damage and other dangerous issues that are not worth the risk. Driving with a faulty wheel bearing is a safety hazard and not recommended.

You don’t need to replace all four if one is faulty. You can just replace the single bad bearing—you don’t need to do the replacement in pairs like you would with new tires.

There are many factors that can accelerate the wear of wheel bearings; driving your wheels through flooded streets being one of them. Although bearings these days are ‘sealed,’ that doesn’t mean they’re waterproof. Driving through deep waters can shorten their life because the petroleum-based grease inside them doesn’t mix well with water. Other factors that accelerate bearing wear include driving on bad roads or with unbalanced wheels.

The range of the cost of labor for a wheel bearing replacement should be approximately $150 to $200, but auto mechanic labor costs can vary wildly depending on the region and the level of expertise needed to fix the problem.

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Wheel bearingreplacement cost

When bearings go bad, the grease inside has usually dried up. Once this happens, the small steel parts inside—the small steel balls and the rails they roll around in—corrode. Because of this, the wear on the bearing is accelerated, and there’s greater friction in its operation.

Once wheel bearings wear out, you’ll need to take them out for replacement. In some older cars, these bearings may be cleaned up and checked for wear. In case they’re still serviceable, they are repacked with fresh grease. However, those of the sealed variety fitted in most cars these days are simply replaced.

When installing new parts on a car, it’s always best to use high-quality aftermarket or OEM parts. Going with low-quality components may be less expensive, but these items may fail prematurely and not last as long.

How to know if wheel bearing is badwhile driving

Bearings are devices that reduce friction in mechanical devices that rotate. Your car’s wheels rotate, and wheel bearings help them move smoothly with the least amount of friction. These bearings are located in the hub to which the wheels are bolted. That hub is then bolted to the vehicle’s suspension. Wheel bearings that are in top shape are very important to the smooth operation of your car.

Other times, a bad bearing doesn’t even make a sound. But to test whether a bearing has gone bad, you can either put your car up on a lift or put it up on jack stands, then grip your hands on either the 3 and 9 o’clock or the 6 and 12 o’clock positions of the tire, then try to wiggle the wheel back and forth. If the wheel does wiggle, chances are it has a bad bearing or bad suspension pieces like ball joints or tie-rod ends.

How to know if wheel bearing is badreddit

Worried you might overpay for your wheel bearings replacement? Use Jerry’s GarageGuard to get a fair cost estimate for your wheel bearings replacement.

The bearings are made up of many small steel balls rolling within metal rings packed with grease. After many kilometers of use, they wear out because the grease dries up and wears out.