How Long Does It Take To Replace A Wheel Bearing?
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Wheel bearings are essential pieces of a vehicle that are required in order for it to function safely. If you have a malfunctioning wheel bearing, this can very quickly present a risk to the safety of you and your passengers and should be corrected immediately. How long it takes to replace a wheel bearing can vary depending on a few factors, but regardless, it’s vital that you take care of it. Luckily, you need to look no further for any information you need on wheel bearing replacement!
Quick Answer: Expect 30 Minutes to an Hour, but It Depends
How long it takes to replace a wheel bearing will depend on multiple factors, including the skill level of the person doing the job, the type of vehicle you have, and where the faulty wheel bearing is located. This makes it difficult to apply a catch-all time estimate, but you can tend to expect about 30 minutes to an hour and a half for front bearings and 15 to 45 minutes for rear wheel bearings.
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Why Do You Need a Working Wheel Bearing?
Wheel bearings function by acting as the attachment between the tire and its axle, allowing the wheel to spin as you drive. Knowing this, it should be clear why having a fully functioning wheel bearing is essential. Without it, your car won’t move in the ways you want it to and could cause major problems. There are a few signs that your wheel bearing is damaged and needs to be repaired or replaced.
The most prominent symptom of a faulty wheel bearing is noise. Your wheel bearing will start making loud humming or grinding noises if something’s wrong with it. These noises can get louder or quieter depending on what you’re doing at the time, such as turning a certain direction or slowing down the car. If you listen closely and find that the noise is coming from a certain area, you might only have one wheel bearing or one part of a wheel bearing that’s malfunctioning, which an expert would be able to clarify. Another telltale sign of wheel bearing trouble is that your tires aren’t deteriorating at the same rate. If one tire is a lot more worn out than the others, it likely has a bad wheel bearing.
On a more serious note, some symptoms of wheel bearing failure can be signs of real danger. A vibrating steering wheel can indicate that something is going seriously awry and needs to be fixed right away. Another example of such a symptom is if your vehicle is pulling to one side. This can affect your driving quite heavily and should be corrected as soon as possible. These last two problems could originate from other mechanical failures as well, but wheel bearings are usually a common cause. If you’re experiencing any of the aforementioned issues, make sure to have a trusted mechanic take a look as soon as possible so that you can get back on the road safely.
How Long Will It Really Take to Replace Your Wheel Bearing?
Before we get into how long it takes to replace a wheel bearing, we need to address the different places that wheel bearings are located in a car. Depending on the location, each wheel bearing performs a different function and takes a different length of time to replace. In most vehicles, there are typically wheel bearings in the front and rear that absorb shock differently based on where they’re placed.
Figuring out how long a wheel bearing replacement will take depends heavily on your vehicle, the particular wheel bearing being replaced, and the expertise of the mechanic that’s performing the job. Even though there are so many variables involved, we can still give you some estimates so that you can set your expectations beforehand. Front wheel bearings can take as little as half an hour with an excellent mechanic, or up to about an hour and a half if they’re not as skilled or run into some difficulties.
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A rear wheel bearing will generally be much quicker, with simple operations taking 15 to 45 minutes. While many rear wheel bearings are designed to be able to detach, certain vehicles have them bolted on, which will make the job take a little longer. If your car is like this, expect closer to thirty minutes to an hour for your replacement.
Unfortunately, the above information likely won’t apply if you have a car with 4-wheel drive. Due to the way these cars are built, it’s a tall order for a mechanic to access the wheel bearings and replace them in a quick fashion. These procedures can be so daunting that it’s really difficult to say how long a replacement will take; it could be hours in some instances. The same is true for cars with rear-wheel drive if you’re getting the rear axle wheel bearings replaced. Regardless of these estimates, though, your best bet is to ask your mechanic how long they think it will take once they’ve taken a look at your car.
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Should You Have Your Wheel Bearing Repaired Instead?
It is possible to repair your wheel bearing rather than opting for a total replacement, but this is pretty rare. For starters, in order to repair a wheel bearing yourself, you’ll need a particular set of skills and tools. It isn’t advisable for beginners to attempt to repair their wheel bearings on their own. Most experts would likely opt to just replace the wheel bearings outright if you take your car into a shop, so you probably shouldn’t expect anything less than that.
As always, we recommend getting a trusted expert’s opinion on the work you need to be done on your car, so make sure to get a professional set of eyes on your vehicle before you ever attempt to make changes on your own. In general, wheel bearing replacements can be a bit annoying, but it’s so important that you have fully functioning ones before you continue driving.
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