You may have read or heard about wheel bearings, and you may be wondering about the cost of replacing wheel bearings. But what exactly are they? The wheel bearing is a set of steel balls or rollers encased in a metal ring that sits inside a hollow metal piece in the center of your wheel hub. The wheel bearing rides on your car's axle shaft, helping to reduce friction as the wheel turns, allowing for a smooth ride.
There are several types of wheel bearings used in cars that we'll talk about later, but every car has a wheel bearing on each of its wheels and it's essential that your car is running properly.
It is important to have the best wheel bearing installed on your car so that the weight is distributed evenly over the wheels.
Because they support the weight of your car while you drive, wheel bearings are susceptible to abuse. This is especially true if you drive on rough, bumpy roads with lots of potholes. Other driving conditions such as excessive water and mud can also cause excessive erosion of the wheel bearing over time.
Wheel Bearing Replacement Cost
Like almost every other car part, wheel bearings wear out over time. In addition to this, a major accident can also cause significant damage to wheel bearings. We'll discuss in more detail the types of wheel bearings, the signs you need to watch out for, and of course, how much you should expect to pay for the replacement cost.
TYPES OF WHEEL BEARINGS
Different manufacturers will use different types of wheel bearings for their own reasons, some are easier to manufacture, other types will allow more performance in the vehicle. Here are some common types of wheel bearings used:
1. BALL BEARINGS
This is one of the most commonly used types of bearings because they are very versatile and simple. They can handle radial loads (the load of the car on the wheel) as well as thrust loads (pressure when cornering) quite well. You'll find it in most cars, bikes and even roller skate wheels.
2. PRECISION BALL BEARINGS
These are similar to ball bearings. However, they rotate faster than standard ball bearings and they reduce friction, which reduces the amount of heat generated, allowing them to handle even greater amounts of load and pressure.
These advantages allow more performance to be extracted from the car. Since they can handle greater amounts of pressure, they can be used for more extreme and demanding purposes. You'll typically find these types of bearings in race cars, performance or exotic cars, and even aircraft.
3. ROLLER BEARINGS
You probably won't find this type of bearing in a motor vehicle, as they don't handle cornering pressure very well. They can only handle loads at low to medium speeds. You'll usually find it in shopping carts or dollies.
4. TAPERED ROLLER BEARINGS
Tapered roller bearings are also commonly used in cars and trucks. Instead of a ball, they will have cone-shaped roller bearings that help with the pressure in the turns. For this reason, tapered roller bearings are more commonly used than standard roller bearings.
SIGNS OF WORN WHEEL BEARINGS
If you want to physically check your car's wheel bearings, you'll need to disassemble your suspension assembly. The video below shows how you can disassemble and check your wheel bearings:
Of course, not everyone will have the skills or time to physically check the condition of their car's wheel bearing. Fortunately, you can look for other telltale signs to see if your car has a worn or damaged wheel bearing. Here are the symptoms you should look out for:
1. UNEVEN TIRE WEAR
UNEVEN TIRE WEAR
A worn or defective bearing wheel can cause your wheel to become loose or cause more vibration while driving. This, in turn, will cause uneven Tire wear as each wheel experiences different levels of vibration. Loose wheels also mean that they sit differently than other wheels, causing uneven tire wear.
Be sure to check each tire if you rotate tires or change your tires if you think you have a bad wheel bearing.
Be sure to check each tire if you rotate tires or change your tires if you think you have a bad wheel bearing.
Keep in mind that unbalanced tires can also cause uneven tires. Misaligned wheels can also cause your car's tires to wear unevenly. So, don't immediately assume it's because of a bad wheel bearing, make sure the other symptoms match as well.
Loud tire noises are another common symptom of bad wheel bearings. Bad wheel bearings lose their lubricity, which causes increased friction, which in turn causes noises. This usually sounds like two pieces of metal rubbing against each other, often producing a buzzing sound as you drive.
Bad wheel bearings lose their lubricity, which causes increased friction, which in turn causes noise.
If the sound gets louder as you drive faster, chances are it's the wheel bearing making the noise. If you hear unusual noises coming from your car but are not sure what they are, you can watch the video below for reference:
If you hear a loud, unusual and persistent noise while driving, it's best to get it checked out. Whatever the cause, cars are not really supposed to make loud noises while driving. Except of course for engine, wind and tire noise.
3. STEERING WHEEL VIBRATION
If the wheel bearings are in very poor condition, it's likely that your steering wheel will start to vibrate while you drive. It is usually present at lower speeds and gets worse as you drive, as do squealing noises.
Keep in mind that steering wheel vibrations can also be caused by unbalanced tires. However, vibrations caused by unbalanced tires normally only occur at high speeds, usually above 60 mph or highway speeds. Whereas steering wheel vibration caused by a bad ride can occur at speeds below that.
If you are experiencing steering wheel vibrations, you may want to balance your tires to see if the problem persists. If it does, it's possible that the vibrations are caused by bad wheel bearings. That being said, if you've had your tires balanced recently, there's no need to do so. It usually takes about a year or two for the steering wheel vibrations to reappear after a tire balancing.
Another symptom you can tell from the steering wheel is that the car feels loose. This one is a little harder to convey and unless you're an avid driver, you may not notice it at all. But a car with a bad wheel bearing tends to feel loose, which means handling feels less precise. This is due to excessive wheel wobble caused by bad bearings, which brings us to the next symptom:
4. EXCESSIVE VACANCY OR PLAY IN THE WHEELS
To diagnose this symptom, you will need to lift your car and place all four wheels on stanchions. Once lifted, grasp each wheel and try to rock it back and forth. If there is any wobble or excessive "play" in the wheels, you probably have a bad wheel bearing.
Normally, a car's wheels should not wobble when shaken, they should stay firmly in place. But if they do, you should have them checked. In any case, having excessive wobble in your wheels can be very dangerous when driving.
In addition to these symptoms, if you drive a newer car, be on the lookout for the ABS light on your dashboard. The ABS light can mean a variety of things, usually related to the brakes. However, manufacturers also often use the ABS light to indicate a problem with the wheel bearing as well.
If you notice these symptoms and the ABS light is on, you may want to visit a repair shop.
WHY CHANGE YOUR WORN WHEEL BEARINGS
We're all a little guilty of putting off repairs to our cars at times, Whether it's for financial reasons, lack of time to get around to it or just borderline procrastination. We're not proud of it, but we've all delayed repairs on our cars for whatever reason.
However, as mentioned earlier, wheel bearings are critical to ensuring a smooth ride while you drive. It is also responsible for the load and weight of your car while you are driving. For these reasons, it's important to make sure they are always in good condition.
Of course, you can technically still drive your car with a bad wheel bearing. But the longer you wait to replace it, the more damage it can do to other parts of your car. Especially at the wheel and suspension assembly, which will cost you more in the long run.
Bad wheel bearings can also make the car less controllable while you drive. This greatly affects the handling of the car and puts you, your passengers and other drivers around you at considerable risk. It is best to have wheel bearings replaced as soon as you confirm that they are worn or damaged.
It's rare for the wheel bearing to fail completely right away, unless the car has been in an accident. But if you think there's a problem with your wheel bearings, it's a good idea to get it checked out immediately. Visit your trusted repair shop to see how much damage there is to the wheel bearings. You can also ask them to assess how far it is from failing completely.
COMMON TYPES OF WHEEL BEARING ASSEMBLIES
The cost of replacing wheel bearings can vary depending on the type of car and wheel bearing assembly. To help you understand how assembly affects wheel bearing replacement cost, here are the common types of wheel bearing and hub assemblies and how they affect replacement cost:
REPAIRABLE HUB ASSEMBLY
This is the simplest and easiest type of assembly to replace, as the wheel bearing is separate from the rotor or also called a wheel hub. The mechanic simply takes out the old bearing and replaces it with a new one. They can do this without having to disassemble much of the suspension assembly, which costs you less in labor.
NON-REPAIRABLE HUB ASSEMBLY
Most new cars will have their wheel bearings pre-packaged with your wheel hub. This means that the bearing sits in the wheel hub as one unit. This will be more expensive to replace because you will have to replace the entire hub, not just the bearings.
While this is not very labor intensive, it will cost you more money to replace it. This is because you have to replace the entire wheel hub, which is slightly more difficult. The replacement parts will also be more expensive. The overall cost will of course depend on the type of vehicle you have.
This assembly will require you to disassemble the wheel hub and put it in a press to remove the bearing. It's a little more complicated so be prepared for a big bill. It's much more labor intensive to remove, requiring more effort and tools, making wheel bearing replacement more expensive.
You would want to leave your wheel bearing replacement to a mechanic, unless you are a professional mechanic yourself and have the tools to do it. If you're not careful, improper bearing installation can lead to premature wear and damage.
WHEEL BEARING REPLACEMENT COST
As mentioned earlier, cars come with different types of wheel bearings, which means that the cost of replacing wheel bearings varies from car to car. To determine the actual cost, you should confirm with your local dealer or repair shop. However, here are some examples to give you a rough idea of how much it will cost:
Let's take a 2018 Toyota Camry as our first example. If you were to replace the front wheel bearings and hub assembly, the MSRP is $363. While a rear wheel hub and bearings will cost you $574. Note that this is Toyota's OEM price and does not include the cost of labor.
As for the Camry's compact little brother, the Toyota Corolla, it will cost you $397 for each front wheel bearing and hub, while the rear costs $298 each.
Note that the cost of replacing wheel bearings may be higher in a sports car, truck or luxury car. This is not always the case, but it happens with some cars. The price difference may be due either to more complicated overall assembly or to the fact that the manufacturer simply charges a premium for the replacement parts.
For example, the going price for a wheel bearing replacement for a 2014-2019 Mercedes-Benz S63 AMG with AIRMATIC suspension is $970. Well above what you pay for a more "normal" car like the Toyota Camry.
Keep in mind that these prices are OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) parts and for the hub assembly. If your car doesn't need to replace the entire hub, meaning you can replace just the wheel bearings, it will be much cheaper. The 2018 Toyota Corolla, for example, costs only $64 just for the wheel bearing itself.
AVERAGE COST OF WHEEL BEARING REPLACEMENT
Average Wheel Bearing Replacement Cost
On average, a wheel bearing alone will cost you between $60 and $150, and a complete bearing and hub replacement costs about $200 to $400 for each wheel depending on your vehicle type. There's also the cost of labor, which varies depending on how much your local repair shop or dealer charges, but you can expect to pay anywhere from $70 to $280, which also depends on how many wheel bearing assemblies you're repairing/replacing.
Overall, you can expect to pay about $400 to $800 to replace the bearing and hub assemblies on both sides of the axles, and if you replace all four, it would be about double that.
Again, these estimates are based on OEM parts. If you don't mind using parts from third-party manufacturers such as MOOG for example, you can get a bearing and hub assembly for about $150, which is about half the price of an OEM part. Just be sure to check reviews first to see what other people's experiences are and to make sure the product is of good quality as well as a good warranty, so you'll have peace of mind even if they're not OEM parts.
HOW LONG DO WHEEL BEARINGS LAST?
On most modern cars, wheel bearings normally last about 85,000 to 100,000 miles. Of course, your failure rate may vary depending on your car model and driving conditions. If you often drive on bumpy roads with lots of potholes, it's likely that your wheel bearing life will be shorter. But as a general rule, you should be fine up to 100,000 miles.
If you drive an older car, you may want to check about every 35,000 miles. Just to make sure they are still in good shape. You would want to maintain them better as older cars can be less reliable.
You can also check online forums to see how long your car's wheel bearing can last. Owners of certain car models often share their experiences online. This will also help you find out if there are any manufacturing defects on your car, among other knowledge that could be useful.
WHAT YOU CAN DO TO EXTEND THE LIFE OF YOUR WHEEL BEARINGS
So, now that you've diagnosed, identified and installed new wheel bearings on your car, what can you do to extend their life so you don't have to change them anytime soon?
As mentioned earlier, rough roads can shorten the life of your wheel bearing. You may want to avoid driving on bumpy roads too often. You should also be more sympathetic to your car and be more careful when going over a speed bump. Going too fast over a bump will be hard on your car's wheel bearings. It could even damage other parts of the suspension or steering.
Note: avoid driving in mud and deep water whenever you can. This could cause excessive dirt and moisture to seep into the wheel bearings, wearing them out faster. Needless to say, we don't want that.
In addition to being more careful while driving, you also need to make sure you go to the right repair shop. It is crucial that you find a mechanic who knows your car well. Proper installation of the wheel bearings and hub assembly is important because poor or incorrect installation can cause unnecessary damage to your wheel bearings over time. This will shorten their life even more.
If you don't have a repair shop or mechanic you can trust, try looking for online reviews of nearby repair shops. It will also be great if one of the satisfied customers has the same car as you, as this would mean that the store understands your car.
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