wheel bearing

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Aug 6, 2020
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good morning! Daughter's 2017 Forester still making wheel bearing noise, now loud. she ignores cars!! I insisted I bring to mechanic next week. an independent guy i totally trust. He said he does maybe 50 bearings a year. He said it is usually the left rear one.

today's dumb quesitons

1. should i have him replace both rear bearings? He said he did that yesterday, customer insisted.

2. since each wheel has a bearing, do I replace the front ones? sound definitely seems like coming from the rear.

do not know the mileage, maybe 50,000?

I guess i would rather do both rear ones next week, so i don't have to do the other one later.

appreciate any advice

THANK YOU

Bob
 
I replaced them in pairs when I owned our Crosstrek. I'm not sure what the problem with Subaru wheel bearings is although I have read that the backing plate may be a contributing factor but I got to the where I was pretty good at changing them out and it is not hard to do.

Cold weather and salt don't seem to be the issue since I replaced several wheel bearings while we still lived in Florida.
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good morning! Daughter's 2017 Forester still making wheel bearing noise, now loud. she ignores cars!! I insisted I bring to mechanic next week. an independent guy i totally trust. He said he does maybe 50 bearings a year. He said it is usually the left rear one.

today's dumb quesitons

1. should i have him replace both rear bearings? He said he did that yesterday, customer insisted.

2. since each wheel has a bearing, do I replace the front ones? sound definitely seems like coming from the rear.

do not know the mileage, maybe 50,000?

I guess i would rather do both rear ones next week, so i don't have to do the other one later.

appreciate any advice

THANK YOU

Bob
On our Subaru's killing one and the other isn't far behind. The fronts last a lot longer/indefinitely in my experience. The non-OE bearings also have a much shorter lifespan. Be sure that the hub isn't out of spec causing premature bearing failure.
 
You introduce other variables when you tear into something needlessly. That said, Subarus are notorious for rear bearings

If you want it done, be sure you also insist for the sake of your mechanic. I despise replacing parts that aren't provably bad -- it just feels dishonest
 
I replaced the right rear wheel bearing on my CRV twice in 300k miles. None of the others were ever touched. Those are press in bearing and are a bit of a pain to replace. Fix the broken one and tell daughter to save her pennies for the rest!
 
If <100k, one make sense. >150k I would certainly consider the same axle opposing bearing.

If its a Subaru, owning one you already bought into higher maintenance costs, so it should already be in a responsible owners budget.
 
This isn’t one of those jobs where you save on labor because “you’re already in there”
This, and the fact that bearing failure is hard to predict, is what I think carries the day.

ODD ONE:
Sis bought a 2012 Mazda3. A front bearing went out under warranty (<20K?). Mazda replaced both.
I'm willing to bet there was a run of bad bearings...maybe inadequately greased at the factory?
Mazda did the right thing, I feel.
 
THANK YOU ALL!

OK, my local trusted mechanic fixed my daughter's car today

change oil and filter. check all fluids, needed washer fluid. check all brakes, fine. changed engine and cabin air filter. replaced right rear wheel bearing. total $579 wheel bearing parts was $222

I trust him 100%. I am glad I did it.
best,
bob
 
It appears to be a standard sealed integrated wheel bearing / hub? If so how are these all known to failure? Either undersized or QC issue.

I agree, in this case I would only change the bad one. No labor savings doing them both.
 
It appears to be a standard sealed integrated wheel bearing / hub? If so how are these all known to failure? Either undersized or QC issue.

I agree, in this case I would only change the bad one. No labor savings doing them both.
Maybe someone has done extensive testing to know why, but I've not seen it. The thing we do know is that the rear bearing failures are common on Subaru and the aftermarket are even more prone.
 
to SC: I looked up, it seems to be a wheel bearing/hub. Mechanic's bill said wheelbearing/hub part $222. sounds like you are right!

thanks all!

bob
 
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