wheel bearings

I had a rubbing sound that only stopped when turning right. I was told by a mechanic that I needed to replace left wheel bearing, said around 1,000 for one side, I questioned this further and got him to admit that was actually for both. I was feeling this guy was shady already so asked what brands wheel bearings would be used specifically with such an exact parts estimate (543.98) and he said Carcraft but I don't see that Carcraft makes wheel bearings, only brake pads...does anybody know if Carcraft makes wheel bearings before I really embarrass this guy by questioning yet another "mistake"?

Thanks!
jan

 

Front wheel bearings are easy, do you know anyone that can give you a hand one day to do it yourself if you're not into working on your own stuff? The fronts are bolt-in, no press needed.

 

I know, and he is my neighbor. I hesitate to really cause problems but damn, if he is doing this to other people who don't know better right? I have a fellow firefighter that is a great mechanic and she offered to put in for me, I would do myself but have a broken hand right now. Thanks for your feedback.
jan

 

recommend purchasing the wheel bearings/hub assemblies from this TW forum member here: https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/wheel-bearings-hubs-press-service-4x4-prerunner.537080/

fast service and quality OEM parts. I completed mine in an hour a side worst case scenario - take your time and ask questions there are a couple "How to's" on this site that will step you through the complete process:

http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/2n...axle-replace-front-wheel-bearing-2nd-gen.html

This covers wheel bearing/hub removal/install as well as CV Axle (which you don't require) so just go to the removal of the hub/wheel bearing assembly, install the new, button everything up with proper torque specs, and you should be good to go.

well under $1k

 

Did the neighbor/mechanic lift up the truck and check each bearing? Yes, the left bearing would be first suspect based on your description of the problem, but lifting the wheels off the ground and checking each bearing will confirm the diagnosis and may point out if both bearings need replacing, which I would do regardless - unless you have low mileage and bearing went out cause you hit hard a pothole or curb, etc…
Tell him the truth in that a friend will be helping you do the job to save $$.

 

I've had good success with TRQ bearings as well - it's the house brand for 1a Auto. It comes with a lifetime warranty, for whatever that's worth. I DID have to ask for a replacement once though - but only because the bearing was damaged in shipment.

My understanding of 1a's practice is that they find/figure out where the better brands source their parts from and source from the same factories. These days there are only a few actual manufacturers for a lot of parts (most in China and Taiwan).

If it's an especially painful process, or if I had to pay someone else to do it, I might source better parts, but since I DIY my bearings, if it didn't work out, it's not that big of a deal. In fact. Just to show that you can't necessarily go by name, a few years ago, I had to do one of the rears on my wife's Prius that I had only done about a year before - and that was a Timken (real from RockAuto - not Fleabay Fakey). I have just gone TRQ since. Mind you, I'm not a shop, so the sample size is relatively small, but it does include 2 cars and 2 trucks.

Edit: 2 cars, 2 trucks, and one SUV (I forgot about an old Buick Rainier we got just for bad snow days (my truck is 2wd) - two front TRQ bearings on that (had to replace when we first got it).

 

Second this. Brand new hubs with top quality bearings already pressed in. Easy to swap, then you have your old hubs as spares that you can take to a shop to have new bearings pressed in for next time.

 

thanks so much for all the feedback!!

 

Thirded. Bought a pair of hubs with bearings pressed in from a member here and bolted them on myself. That was 50k or 60k miles ago and I've had no issues.

 

I'm glad you've had good luck with TRQ bearings, but I would seriously question their long-term durability. The question everyone should ask with something that costs less than half of the OEM part is: "Exactly how did they make something for so much less?" I can assure you that OEM parts are more expensive at least partially due to higher markup. I can also assure you that the bigger reason is that they last longer. Just something to think about brought to you by somebody who used to work in Parts at a Toyota dealership.

BTW, I too would highly recommend: https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/wheel-bearings-hubs-press-service-4x4-prerunner.537080/

 

Sadly, in addition, the only thing in any car/truck/suv that is truly OEM these days is the chassis, motor and a few select parts. Everything from light bulbs and connectors to ignition, suspension and wheel bearings are sourced. Find the same source, and you've cut the middle man out. I'm not saying TRQ gets the bearing from the same source, but I am saying Toyota does NOT make wheel bearings.

For sure there are some 'aftermarket' brands that I wouldn't touch if I can help it (Dorman for example), but as I stated earlier, as long as it's not too much of a PIA to swap, I'm willing to give other brands a try. Here, I use the term "brands" lightly, since everybody sources from the same few actual manufacturers (including Toyota) and slaps their name on it. I do realize that some will use better specs (such as tolerances, etc.) in their orders though.

 

You are correct about Koyo - and I'm sure Toyota gets a hefty discount as the major shareholder:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Koyo_Seiko

 

NAPA uses Koyo bearings in some of their hubs. $$, but, worth it.
That parts store whose color scheme is green and white, has a very good looking hub. However, I inquired who made the bearing. They have a “ ask questions spot on their site”. They admit, no name bearings made to spec made in China. So, no thanks.

 

I just put a Beck/Arnley on the passenger side front of mine, yesterday, at 127,000 miles. We'll see how it holds up. I'll be sure and let everyone know. If it's good, it should be in about another seven years.

If not, it'll be sooner.

 

Good links! We might do the both front bearings on my friend's new Taco project after we finish installing the rack and jeep tops on the Wrangler and clear the garage.

 

Used the same bearing/hub on my fronts about a year or so ago and put apx 7500 miles on them, few trips out west. So far so good. Quiet and tight. But time will tell.

 

Very true. Back when Henry Ford was the master of manufacturing, he believed in "vertical integration." That's where the manufacturer (Ford in this case) makes virtually everything that goes into their product from raw materials to finished product. His (very correct) assumption was that if he controlled everything, he would cut out all of the middlemen and make the maximum amount of money. He also knew that controlling everything would yield a higher quality product.

Over the years though, other companies who couldn't afford to build every single part started "outsourcing" certain part production to outside suppliers who offered more expertise and / or better pricing. By the late 1990's, many companies literally outsourced all of their manufacturing and found themselves at the mercy of their suppliers. Some of these suppliers even went on to compete with their former customers - and take most of their business. Other companies found themselves in a death spiral seeking out cheaper and cheaper suppliers to remain competitive. As you might guess, in this case quality generally took a nosedive and reputation soon followed. (Moog - cough, cough.)

Toyota has always had a very different relationship with their suppliers. First of all, they fully expect their suppliers to remain in business by making money. They regularly visit these suppliers to help them improve their processes and / or address issues. Many more traditional automotive companies (GM in the 1990's cough, cough) simply demanded annual price reductions and didn't care how the suppliers achieved the savings or even if they remained in business. Theor Buyers were absolutely ruthless with their suppliers. You can guess what this led to.

Second, Toyota has a financial stake in many of their suppliers. They realize that they cannot build high quality vehicles without high quality parts from high quality suppliers. Having a big brother to lean on never hurts. And when your main customer has a financial stake in you, you're going to give them better service than any of your other customers. Why do you think Toyota weathered the semiconductor shortage better than anybody else?

Finally, Toyota realizes that one cannot outsource everything and if one does, that's the beginning of the end. Although Toyota relies on a relatively small number of suppliers to produce many of their parts, they keep control of engineering, design and manufacturing of core processes in-house. After all, if all you do is buy parts from around the world and assemble them into a finished product, what's stopping somebody else from buying the same parts and assembling their own competing product?

How does this relate to wheel bearings? Bearings are more of a commodity item and thus Toyota does not feel the need to make them in-house. Since they are a critical component though, they entrust the manufacturing to a company that they have a stake in and can trust. Can other (cough, cough, Chinese) contract manufacturers make bearings for less? Hell yes, but look at the quality. What aftermarket bearing suppliers are counting on is this. Your OEM bearings probably lasted 100,000 miles. What is the likelihood that the same owner will ever need to install another one? Yup, about zero. So, a replacement bearing that costs half as much and lasts half as long (if you're lucky) is just fine for many folks. Me, I'll take OEM parts any day of the week. But I work at a Toyota dealership - in Parts.

 

Is there an employee discount? I once considered working PT at Home Depot thinking there would be an employee discount on stuff, so I asked an employee, and he said "nothing - no discount on anything."

In my younger days, I worked at a photo shop just so I could get camera equipment and film processing at a discount. Their discount on equipment was great - cost plus 5% (to alleviate the cost of the accounting). It was a fairly robust photo chain in Waikiki at the time, so they did their own processing and printing so there was a great discount on that too, though I don't remember the specifics.

 

Yes

 

Do you get a discount on labor rate too?