Question on Wheel Bearings

cheap works fine too

 

sometimes.... /
usually you get what you pay for //

BION
StarCaller

 

are they really?

 

@ALS, how many miles on the odometer?

 

Hmm, not good.

 

so what would be a superior replacement (without considering the price) ?

 

I'm late to help ALS but for what it's worth to others:

With regard to Gen 2 fronts, the Timken appears to be an identical KOYO JAPAN stamped bearing to OEM. They are available on Amazon for ~$100 and I've done both fronts on my (daughter's) '07 with them.

I have not had the pleasure with my 2010 yet, but at 121K and living in northern NY, I know it could be any day now. The one Amazon review of the Gen 3 rear bearing says, "...nearly identical to OEM, made in Japan." I will use the Timken for Gen 3, too. It's a substantial savings over even discounted dealer pricing and appears likely to be OE Koyo.

Edit: I can't seem to link Amazon but searching this field will bring you to it:

Timken HA590373 Wheel Bearing and Hub Assembly

 

GOOD INFO!
Sounds like a good deal here: TIMKEN HA590373 Wheel Bearing & Hub Assembly | RockAuto

 

For just the BEARINGS? What are they made of, Unobtainium?

Oh...it's a whole deal. What's up with that? Is the bearing a sealed assembly? Normally you service bearings (clean and lube) and replace only if there's sign of significant wear.

 

Sadly, it's not.

IIRC, standard service interval on wheel bearings (clean, inspect & relube) is pretty much every 50,000 standard driving miles. If it's a sealed/non-serviceable unit, you just run them until they wear out...which is a lot sooner than a setup you can service as needed. My pickup truck went almost 200K before the wheel bearings needed replacement with my doing the recommended service intervals.

My motorcycle is in a similar situation. The wheel bearings are sealed units (have to be), so you can expect anywhere from 30-50K they'll start to tear up and need replacement because there's no way to service them during their lifetime.