Wheel bearings are a small yet mighty part of your car vital to movement and safety. If they’re not functioning properly, you must replace them immediately.

If it's too difficult to tell, especially with how well sound-insulated modern cars are, a passenger can try listening to the noise from the front and then rear seats.

However, determining which one is at fault takes a little more investigation. See below for instructions on how to examine wheel bearing problems.

This can start to happen because the wheel bearing ensures the wheels are rotating in a single plane and not moving side to side when the bearing wears out.

Wheel bearing going bad signsreddit

Another determining factor is when the noise is present; if, when braking, the noise gets louder, this usually means that one of the front bearings is worn out. This is because the action of the weight of the car shifts more to the front wheels when decelerating.

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Because they support the road wheels, wheel bearing noise depends on speed. If you notice a noise that stays the same volume and pitch when doing 30mph or 70mph, it’s probably not a wheel bearing.

Not only can this cause a wayward steering feel, but it can also wear out your front tyres faster. If your car feels like this when steering and shows other signs of a worn bearing, get it checked as soon as possible.

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Modern wheel bearings are often made into modular units that bolt on and off the car for easy maintenance. Older cars, and some new ones, require powerful hydraulic presses to force out the old bearings and ‘press in’ the new ones.

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Joseph has been writing about cars for over seven years and writing for Bumper for over two, blending his passion for automobiles with a talent for storytelling.

Wheel bearingreplacement cost

If you can hear a new noise, particularly a droning that increases in volume and frequency with speed, there's a good chance you have a failing wheel bearing.

However, life expectancy depends on how often you drive and the condition of the roads you drive on. This may mean wheel bearings need replacing sooner or later, but they won’t need replacing regularly.

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So, if you’re wondering if wheel bearings are expensive, the price ultimately comes down to which specific parts your car needs.

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While a mechanic will be best placed to properly diagnose your wheel bearing issues, there are some symptoms to look out for. Here are four signs drivers need to know:

Badrearwheel bearingsymptoms

The traditional construction of a bearing is two rings, called races, and small balls. When assembled the balls transmit the load between the inner and outer races whilst allowing rotation and retaining their position laterally (side to side).

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Be careful when touching any part of the wheels as they can become very hot depending on the severity of the bearing issue and if you have been braking hard. But if one wheel is slightly warmer, this could indicate a bearing problem.

How to tell whichwheel bearingisbadwhile driving

Typically it is cheaper to replace a bearing on a non-driven axle, as there are fewer components to remove, with most cars being front-wheel drive (except for many BMW and Mercedes cars) this means the rear bearings are cheaper.

Like many components on a car, wheel bearings almost always give plenty of warning, audible and otherwise, that they’re starting to fail. Also, like other parts, the consequences of allowing one to fail can be severe.

Obviously, this is an extremely dangerous situation. It can cause a complete loss of control and a high chance of injury.

Bearings are absolutely everywhere in machinery and vehicles. Anything with moving parts will always have a bearing of some kind. Car wheels require strong and precise bearings to cope with the large forces of bumps and turns.

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Frontwheel bearing going bad signs

Because a bearing's job is to reduce friction, when they’re not working as they should, more friction and therefore heat is generated. This can often be felt on the wheel after a long drive.

If you hear an unfamiliar noise when drifting to the left, there may be a problem with your right wheel bearing. If the noise occurs when you drift right, the left wheel bearing may be faulty.

Frontwheel bearingnoise symptoms

Joseph has written about engineering and cars for Autozilla, Komaspec, and several engineering manufacturers. When he's not writing or tinkering with one of his five cars, Joseph dreams of owning an Alfa Romeo 33 Stradale.

Wheel bearing replacement is a common issue, so the parts are relatively cheap, and any competent garage well understands the process. Typical parts prices range from £30 to £250, but then you have to include the labour costs as well.

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You can estimate your wheel bearing cost depending on the type you buy. Here’s a quick overview of the different price brackets:

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Now you’ve figured out roughly where the offending bearing is, it should be pretty easy to determine which side is at fault:

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Wheel bearing going bad signsnoise

The wheel hub - the part that the wheel bolts to - is held in place by the hub-nut, which prevents the wheel and hub from coming off the axle.

housing bore dimensions and tolerances. The recommended method for achieving radial retention is to create an interference, or press fit, between the bearing.

As bearings wear, they create more noise. The noise from a wheel bearing will be a constant droning or scraping noise and is the best way to tell if there is a problem.

Whilst wheel bearings can take a while to get to the replacement point, it’s still important to have the bearing checked as soon as you notice a new noise or feel any symptoms. Hopefully, this guide has introduced you to wheel bearing replacement costs and answered some questions you may have had. When in doubt, consult a professional mechanic or work with a garage to achieve a safe solution.

Wheel bearings are considered a standard wear and tear item on a car. Depending on the number of miles you drive and how long you keep a car, you should expect to have to replace them at some point.

Not sure what to look at, or hear for when they might need replacing? Worried about the cost of wheel bearings? Or simply want to understand a bit more about how wheel bearings work?

Wheel bearing going bad signswhile driving

When a bearing completely fails, the hub nut can no longer stop the outer bearing race, hub and wheel from sliding off the axle. In short, the wheel can literally fall off the car.

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When doing an MOT, the tester will lift your car and firmly pull on the wheels in various directions. Excess movement in the wheel, when pulled from the top or bottom, is usually a symptom of a failing wheel bearing.