Bad Wheel bearing... where to go? How much should it cost?

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Old 06-20-2006, 06:26 PM
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Bad Wheel bearing... where to go? How much should it cost?

It's on a 2000 2.5RS Coupe, Any Suggestions? I understand it's a common problem with the older Imprezas.
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Old 06-20-2006, 07:28 PM
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Hey Jeremiah, which car is this now!?!?! I'm dealing with some wheel bearing problems too, and I found a guy who will do them pretty cheap, and most importantly correctly.

Basically, find a shop that will use the Subaru tool (which isn't made by Subaru, but required and used at the dealership). This has many advantages such as:

*The knuckle stays on the car during the install, which means no need for an alignment afterwards. This saves you $60-100
*The new bearing won't fail prematurely because of force exerted on it from being pressed in with the incorrect tool.
*The tool takes an hour of shop labor off the job, resulting in you saving money. ~$75-120 saved
*The special tool applies much less force than a shop press, and is made specifically for the size and shape of subaru wheel bearings only.

Find someone who really knows their stuff and can honestly say they have done hundreds of them and none came back for re-fixes. If it's done even slightly wrong, the problem will come back sooner or later.

Also, an experienced subaru wrench will measure the hub with a micrometer to make sure it's still perfectly round, and hasn't been warped from heat generated by the failed/failing bearing. The mechanic that I mentioned quoted me $170 for parts and labor for one bearing. Thats a lot better than the $500 I was quoted by a private shop who claimed to specialize in Subarus.

Good luck.
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Old 06-20-2006, 07:41 PM
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I picked up a wheel bearing from the subaru wrecking yard in sac for like $80 and had a friend install it, ever since mine's been fine...
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Old 06-20-2006, 07:47 PM
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excellent!

I forgot to mention that this is for a friend of mine, not me. He lives in Oakland, where was it you went Impretzle? I'll pass the info along to him.

EJ25RS- that's a good suggestion as well. Thanks!
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Old 06-20-2006, 07:53 PM
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I think it's suggested you use wheel bearings for a legacy gt.
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Old 06-20-2006, 09:33 PM
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Originally Posted by HomerJay
I think it's suggested you use wheel bearings for a legacy gt.
And good grease like Neo HP800
http://www.neosyntheticoil.com/products_gr.html
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Old 06-21-2006, 12:25 AM
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i took my steering knucle off and brought wheel bearing to person with press.. i pressed it in and threw it all back together.
20k miles and no prob so far..

dont be scared to work on ur car just get some instructions/tools =P thats the only to make sure its all done right
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Old 06-21-2006, 12:48 AM
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not sure if this is related but it seems that my car has a 'wobble' at low speeds, feels like bent wheel, but with trying 3 different sets of wheels, I still have it. Is sound the only thing that tells you your wheel bearings are bad??? I have 206K miles and am wondering if I need to replace mine, how can I know?
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Old 06-21-2006, 12:53 AM
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If your car's making a weird low rotating woh woh woh sound. I'd say so.
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Old 06-21-2006, 11:40 AM
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Had gruppe-s replace my rear wheel bearings with good results.
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Old 06-21-2006, 11:55 AM
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How much did gurppe-s charge you?
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Old 06-21-2006, 02:22 PM
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Originally Posted by wrx360
How much did gurppe-s charge you?
yes, I too would like to know this.
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Old 06-21-2006, 04:45 PM
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I really don't remember, and I can't seem to find it in my credit card statements. (It was over a year ago). I want to say it was something like $160 labor for both rear wheel bearings, but I could be off. I know it was less than 1/4 of what the dealer wanted to charge me!
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Old 06-21-2006, 04:55 PM
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Originally Posted by EJ25RS
I picked up a wheel bearing from the subaru wrecking yard in sac for like $80 and had a friend install it, ever since mine's been fine...
i got mine brand new from Kragen for the same price, and installed for $40. my boy is the manager at Wheel works in SM
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Old 06-21-2006, 09:31 PM
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Thanks for all the heads up guys!
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