5 Symptoms of Bad Front and Rear Wheel Bearings
5 Symptoms of Bad Front and Rear Wheel Bearings
Every wheel has its individual wheel bearing. This is why if only one of your wheel bearings gets worn out, you won't have to replace all or both on the same axle. However, when it's time to bring in your vehicle for regular maintenance, there are certain symptoms our Service Department can help you look for that indicate bad wheel bearing.
Uneven Tear and Wear
The first common symptom is uneven wear, and once wheel bearings wear out, they began to deteriorate unevenly across most of the wheels. As a result, the tire will show irregular tire wear in comparison to the rest.
Strange Sounds
When your tires make a loud grinding noise, this is often a sign of damaged wheel bearings. This happens when the wheel bearings lose their lubricity and generate a lot of heat inside them.
It will sound nearly like two pieces of metal grinding against each other. Because of how the wheels wear down unevenly, you will usually hear the sound from one of them rather than all of them. It's most prominent when shifting or steering.
Shaking Steering
If you feel the steering wheel vibrating under your grip, in particular at low speeds, and this goes on for a while, you'll start to notice it getting worse as you pump the gas pedal and begin accelerating.
Imbalanced tires are often mistaken for this condition. Although the symptoms are similar, vibrations from improperly balanced tires happen at high speeds. In any event, you should take your car to a technician and have the problem properly diagnosed.
Drifting Out of Lane
When a wheel bearing wears and gets rusted or bumpy, the smooth lining that bearings require is lost, and the rough surface creates vibrating tires. Because of the vibration, your car may tug slightly to the side of the damaged bearing due to the high amount of runout they generate.
Swaying Wheels
Although this is hard to discover but essentially, if you have your car on a hydraulic lift or both wheels of an axle on jack stands, you'd know if your wheel bearings are good if they don't wobble or have excess room for movement when shaken up on both sides.
Average Replacements Costs
Front-wheel bearings are made to last for many years without needing to be replaced. The average cost to replace both front wheel bearings is usually less than 600 CAD. Rear-wheel bearings can be a bit cheaper but cost within the same range. And bearing replacement for just one of the wheels might cost half the amount. The exact cost is determined by the rates of your local repair shop and the type and model of your car. It is also essential to have a trusted dealership with a Parts Department that sources the right parts for your vehicle to avoid reoccurring issues and visits.
Some vehicles include a rear hub bearing assembly, consisting of the wheel bearings prepacked in the hub and fitted as a complete unit. Therefore, the entire hub assembly must get replaced rather than just the wheel bearings, resulting in more expenses.