My mech says I need a new axle bearing in the left rear. He recommended doing both left & right at the same time, which makes sense.
I’ve been trying to buy the parts myself to save some $$$.
Anyway - I’m not sure which to get. This:
This: http://shop.advanceautoparts.com/p/national-axle-repair-bearing-rp-513067/18442158-P
This: http://shop.advanceautoparts.com/p/driveworks-wheel-bearing-s-rp513067/15050166-P
Or this: http://tinyurl.com/ju8gxzq
Any ideas?
A really good way to irritate a mechanic is to show up with your own parts for a repair. The mechanic is not going to warrant parts from you. Besides he needs to make a living and parts are part of that. You would not show up at a steak restaurant with a steak for them to cook would you ?
He recommended doing both left & right at the same time, which makes sense.
There is a logic there, but to save money just do the bad one for now (and let the mechanic buy the parts). You may never have to touch the other one (my experience).
@“VOLVO V70” I’ve already discussed that with him… he has no problem using parts I bought myself, though he made it clear he wouldn’t warrant them.
@insightful , good suggestion.
But I’d like to know which parts to get if I decide to go that route.
It sounds like your mechanic is being super nice. Not all would allow you to do this. Plus, expect labor to be a little higher than normal, cuz they are going to get the same amount from you either way.
But i would recommend that you share this with your mechanic. You may not know this, but letting him help you choose may also be positive. Don’t waste his appointment time by bringing the wrong part.
Bearing replace can and may involve bearing hubs or just bearings only, like you show. It makes a huge difference if the guy doesnt have the right press to pull out a bearing. Since we don’t know, you probably want to ask him/her.
The first bearing on your list, the “repair bearing” is used if the bearings mating surface on the axle shaft is worn or damaged. The repair bearing relocates the rollers to a different area on the axle shaft. Your choice of bearings will depend on the condition of the axle shafts upon inspection.
Something as vital as a wheel bearing I would want the mechanic to acquire the part and have some kind of warranty. There are times when money saved is not really money saved.
Most of the cost is labor, trying to save a few bucks by buying the part yourself is utterly foolish!!! It would also give the mechanic an out if the repair did not work out well.
What if you asked your mechanic which bearing manufacturer and part number he/she recommends? Then you could purchase it, and the mechanic would be confident it is the correct one.
I printed out both pages, he recommended the one from Advance Autoparts - it’s already lubed up etc.
@Docnick - the mechanic was going to charge me $249 for two of those parts. I can get it from Advance for around $90.
This is a guy I’ve been going to for years and we have a good rapport. I understand I’m rolling the dice if it fails, but we’re talking about a 14-year-old car here.
@livefree75 You might want to share with us which model of Suburban (1500, 2500, 2WD, 4WD, engine) you actually own if you want us to recommend parts. We can only assume you chose the right listing. These bearings do not have a seal from the factory. They are needle bearing units lubed by the axle oil and an oil seal is installed last.
These appear to be “repair” bearings with an internal seal and lubed by the grease packed in. Why have you chosen this? Is your axle shaft grooved? If the axle shaft is grooved, I’d replace it In fact, I did change the axle in my GM truck because the groove kept damaging the oil seal.
Since this part is critical I would not cheap out.
@livefree75 If you have that kind of relationship, go for it, but make sure you buy quality parts.
we have a lot of GM trucks of various vintages in our fleet
The first 2 pictures look wrong, IMO
The 3rd picture looks correct, IMO
The OP states that the mechanic was charging $249.00 for parts (if I read that right ) and he was buying them for $90.00. Either it is not apples to apples or that is one heck of a markup. I just think something is missing here.