Hi everyone, I just found out that my front wheel hub bearings are what's been causing a noise in my front end (very audible in the cabin). The shop wants to charge me $570 parts/labor to replace them, but looking at the manual on this, it doesn't look too difficult (aside from the part where I'd need a shop to press out/in the bearings). Plus they said it's not causing any damage, just noise. I called the local Dodge dealer too, the guy quoted me over the phone $300 + parts + alignment to do it.

Any thoughts on this? Anyone done this before and recommend that I do/don't do it? I'm no full-time mechanic, but I can follow instructions and know my way around some tools.

Thanks.

 

not bad of a job at all, the part that sucks is the bearing getting pulled and pressed back in the spindle, besides that a basic set of metric tools, and u should be set...

 

me and my dad did mine driverside. took about a day to get it done. we just had to take da spindle to a mechanic to press out da bearing and da new one in. only cost 30 buks. total was 70 cus wheel bearing was around 30

 

oh, u need a spindle nut socket to

 

I assume you mean for the CV nut... some parts stores used to rent these in different sizes...

 

They sell them too...not too expensive either which is why I have one sitting in my tool box.

 

I know, I have a set of them - 32mm/1-1/4", 35mm/1-3/8", and 38mm/1-1/2" reversable ratchet-wrenches with 24" hardened steel handles on them (from working on past cars and trucks). Almost indestructable IMO. If I had to do it again, I wouldn't have bought them (I would loan them now) simply because I was single when I bought them, and now I have a wife and kids...

 

Thanks for the advice guys. I was all prepared to tackle it myself (aside from the press portion), when my wife called a friend of ours that knows more about cars than I do. Took it to his place yesterday morning around 8am, done with everything by 11am (100% better now, no more loud grinding noise or vibration, I can actually hear road noise and the engine!). He showed me how to do one side, I worked on the other side, it was pretty simple to get things taken apart.

Thing that took the longest was finding a place that had a press that we could use. Called all over town, Autozone had lent out their press and didn't get it back yet, no shops would let us use their press unless we bought their parts and paid them to do it...finally he has an idea to head to his buddy's shop. I don't know why we didn't go there in the first place, the guy *MAKES* bearings, so he had everything we needed, press, pullers, air tools, etc.

All in all, cost me about $30 each for the bearings, plus whatever I do for him (take his family out to dinner, whatever he needs)...saved me over $500.