MattT2

Hi Guys,

Anyone had a rear wheel bearing fitted by a Subaru dealer? I'm being quoted lots (i.e. best part of 200 quid + VAT). Is this normal? I'd like some points of reference....

By the way - what is the failure mechanism? I've got a queak but no wobble. Is it likely to seize / shatter / kill me soon or can I run like this safely for as long as I can tolerate the squeak?

Any help appreciated!

MattT

Stephen Cole

I'm sure there was a thread on this recently
(but I'm too lazy to go search for it)

SOmeone knowledgable mentioned issues with rear wheel bearings especially being prone to going

MattT2

Hi Stephen,

Thanks for the response - I did a search and it showed up a few interesting things. Unfortunately no one has posted the price (inc. labour) of the job (apart from me now). The price I was quoted seems pretty big!

Any points of reference / answers to my specific questions appreciated!...

MattT

chrispy

Hi Matt,
I brought the bearing, seals and clips from my local dealer and payed £140, so £200 fitted isn't bad. Incidently I never got around to doing mine as the noise went away after I had a new clutch fitted so if you want to buy the bits let me know.

Chris




[This message has been edited by chrispy (edited 25 July 2001).]

MattT2

Chris,

Thanks for the note. At which end of the country are you? I could be interested.

I'm hoping someone is going to respond to my 'failure mechanism' question with something like 'as long as it doesn't wobble it won't kill you'!

MattT

Sam Elassar

hi matt
i have had to replace one of the front bearings couple of months back and like your self i have refused to pay the dealers charges £150-160. there is a guy on here who has got his own bearing company kind of thing and i think the kit is around £50 per bearing. fitting takes 1-2hours so the full cost should not go over the £90-100.

if he does not reply to this i will dig out the his number for you, it is on my other pc.

the other place with can supply them again through a bearing company is falkland performance.

i hope this helps

MattT2

Hey Sam,

How is it going?!

Thanks for the message - I would indeed appreciate your contacts number if you can dig it out for me.

Thanks Mate!

MattT

andy p

Matt,

A tip if you want to save money:-
As a general rule, never by bearings from a dealer. There are very few bearings used in cars that are not standard catalog bearings as produced by SKF, ***, NSK, etc. All you pay extra for is a box with Subaru. Inside will be a std NSK (or whatever) bearing and a 300% mark up. (sorry for the rant).

Regarding prices of rear wheel bearings, I think Chris is right for a pair (about £70 each from Subaru dealer). If you went to a std auto/bearing stockist you should be able to get this for about £10-20. Fitting I think is easy because they are double row taper rollers, so do not need any adjustment (the pre-load is machined into the part). So simply whack out the old bearings and press the new ones in and tighten up.

If you want to do it on the cheap then simply find out the bearing & seal catalog numbers, buy them and fit them yourself or find a garage to fit them for you.

Andy


[This message has been edited by andy p (edited 26 July 2001).]