Jazz Rear Wheel Bearing Replacement Options

**95331140** · 04-09-2008 06:39 AM

I got mine replaced back in October 2007. Bad thing about my situation was that my bearings on the rear, right side only became noisy after I came back from holidays and the car was sitting still for about 10 days.

I guess the grease settled in the hub or something?? (no evidence of leakage)

Just checked my invoice:

Total Labour: $46.37
Total parts: $279.48 (1 side bearing/Hub assembly)
GST: $32.58

TOTAL: $358.45

So not that cheap really, but I had no choice. The noise was terrible on the freeway.

**tedh1951** · 04-09-2008 07:15 AM

Yes, it's a bit exxy - there must be a solution. Just a thought - resist the temptation to aim water, from the hose, onto the hub when washing the car - especially if the wheels are hot - I'm sure such a practice led to wheel bearings on one of my other cars failing. A large German Shephard pi**ing on the wheels didn't help.

**95331140** · 04-09-2008 07:54 AM

Originally Posted by tedh1951

resist the temptation to aim water, from the hose, onto the hub when washing the car - especially if the wheels are hot - I'm sure such a practice led to wheel bearings on one of my other cars failing.

I never did such a thing and I still had the problem. Just a manufacturing defect that's costing us all :-/

**Zimp13** · 04-09-2008 09:26 AM

Originally Posted by 95331140

I got mine replaced back in October 2007. Bad thing about my situation was that my bearings on the rear, right side only became noisy after I came back from holidays and the car was sitting still for about 10 days.

I guess the grease settled in the hub or something?? (no evidence of leakage)

Just checked my invoice:

Total Labour: $46.37
Total parts: $279.48 (1 side bearing/Hub assembly)
GST: $32.58

TOTAL: $358.45

So not that cheap really, but I had no choice. The noise was terrible on the freeway.

the labour is cheap

**tedh1951** · 04-09-2008 11:52 AM

Originally Posted by 95331140

I never did such a thing and I still had the problem. Just a manufacturing defect that's costing us all :-/

Which? The garden hose or the German Shephard thing?

**tedh1951** · 04-09-2008 05:31 PM

Originally Posted by claymore

It's a sealed bearing inside a sealed hub how do you think water is getting in??

What happens when you heat any fluid - be it water, oil, grease (oil mixed with soap), petrol, or even air - it expands. The bearing housing, to follow the laws of physics, has to allow for fluid expansion due to heat as well as contraction with cooling. If this is a sealed unit as you suggest, then I have an engineering problem. Even "sealed" bearings often have plastic side plates to allow for expansion. A totally sealed bearing does exist where fluids surround it to carry the heat away (like high speed pump bearings) but in a car - call me cynical, but I'm yet to be convinced.

**tedh1951** · 05-09-2008 09:03 PM

Originally Posted by claymore

Yet to be convinced of WHAT. There are seals TO KEEP THINGS OUT and in so how does the water get in to somehow wreck the bearings, not how does the grease expand and get out.

Well if expansion is accommodated and the bearing compartment is allowed to relieve pressure then, very obviously, the same mechanism has to contract when it cools - if water, for example, is present when the cooling occurs then it is very likely that water must be drawn back into the bearing. I'M NOT GUESSING HERE - this is what I do for a profession - and I have done it for a long time - I see expensive bearings in expensive machines fail due to water injestion, and I see it almost on a weekly basis. Sometimes it is due to the force of a cleaning hose, sometimes it is due to contraction sucking water (and dirt) in. If you tell me that motor vehicle bearings are completely sealed then all I can say is B.... S... . Modern design is all well and good, but that sort of design is very, very, unusual - and very, very, expensive - Mr Honda is good, but nowhere near that good. None of us could afford it.

**95331140** · 05-09-2008 09:35 PM

Then why do bearings on other cars virtually last the life of the car and are usually the last thing to fail?

Cheap/poor engineering is obviously the cause with the Jazz's bearings.