Allright guys. I've been using this site for information for a couple years now. Everyone has lots of great information to share. Now I need some advice.
I took my car in to a local mechanic last week. I wanted him to look the car over and tell me how everything looked. My car has 130,000 miles on it and I wanted to make sure it was going to last me for a while longer.
He called me back to let me know that the front hub and bearings on both sides needed to be replaced for almost $850. (My car has been making the 'humming' noise that seems consistent with bad bearings) I told him "no can do" because I don't have that kind of money to spend. I asked him why the hub and bearings needed to be replaced and he said that there is considerable "play" in both front wheels. (I checked this out and there is quite a bit of "play") And he said that they've learned that when there is that much "play" it is counter-productive to just change the bearings, because they won't last long in the old hubs.
So heres my question. Does this sound correct? What would happen if I just had the bearings changed? How long could they last on these supposedly bad hubs? (He said there is no way to estimate how long they would last.)
I was also wondering how tough it is to do on your own. My dad is pretty proficient with cars, and he said he would have access to a press if we needed one. What other tools would we need? Is it much tougher to replace the hub, rather than just the bearing? Also, what should I be looking for when we visually inspect the hub and bearings? Are there any signs to a bad hub?
Sorry for the long post, I just need some help.
Thank you.
