My question is what could cause a wheel bearing and CV joint to fail immediately after a clutch replacement and a general inspection?
So I brought my 2014 focus with under 50000 miles in due to the normal transmission issues with clutch chatter and hesitation. Also asked them to do a general inspection to come current on my warranty requirements and address a feeling of the car feeling lose into turns sometimes (I thought maybe it is just me getting used to going to summer tires from winter). So they rebuild the clutch and i finally get my car back four days later with a clean bill of health and them unable to recreate the lose sensation in the steering during a test drive. So fast forward four five days and under 200 miles driven and I had a rapid failure of my front driver side wheel bearing and cv joint. It was fine the day before then after 20 miles of driving it felt like it was about to go.
So this is everything I noticed about my car after I got it back:
Transmission felt great. No chatter and fast to respond.
When I would turn into a parking spot or pull out of one I would sometimes here a clunk (that had never happened before)
Drove fine. It rained the day before the failure (not sure if that could contribute) but when I got on the road the next day the wheel went bad very very fast and the rubbing became so severe I limped to the nearest cellphone reception. A 79 mile tow later I am back at the dealership who replaced that the wheel bearing and CV. (my car is actually back there right now because they left a bungee cord attached to the coil and it started to make the clicking rubbing noise so I called them to tow it)
Any ideas? I am afraid there may be something even more dangerous wrong with it now.
My question is what could cause a wheel bearing and CV joint to fail immediately after a clutch replacement and a general inspection?
The axles come off to get at the clutch, which means the CV boots and wheel bearings can be damaged in the process. I suppose if the rip in the CV boot is big enough and you’re driving fast enough through deep enough water you might wash the grease out and greatly accelerate wear.
Next time you get a car back from a shop and you hear clunks that weren’t there before, get it back to them right away before more damage is done.
my car is actually back there right now because they left a bungee cord attached to the coil and it started to make the clicking rubbing noise so I called them to tow it
Wait, what? They left a bungee cord where? Got pics? Why was the bungee cord there in the first place? That sounds very odd.
oh yea thats looking up from the front to the coil. Defiantly was not there before being serviced
the clunking only happened two or three times and I was actually planning on bringing it back once I was back in town. wish I had sooner haha
What the…
Well that would certainly explain weird noises, wouldn’t it.
Hey, a free bungie cord! I never get anything free.
Shadow offered a beautiful explanation. However I was also thinking that you just bought the car, so it may have a few history details of which you may not be aware. Whenever buying a late model used car, be prepared for a few unexpected surprises. Like perhaps an unreported single-car accident. However, it sounds like the dealer is standing behind the warranty without a battle, and the problems are getting repaired, so if it were me I’d feel lucky. Once it gets fixed up you’ll probably have a good car there that will serve you well for years.
Haha thank you shadow for the advice and I brought up the removal of the axel when I just picked it up. Basically I walk away with a guarantee on any of the things they touched to do any of the work involved with the clutch rebuild and the bearing replacement.(minus brakes tires etc) I end up not pay anything besides my damage insurance on my rental. God help them if something goes wrong… I really love this car.
I bought the car with about 32000 miles on it last year. Bought it as a used ‘manufacterers car’ (was registered to Ford as the only owner in Mi.) Figured at least the service was probably carried out by them and the milage lined up for the average miles drivin in a year in Michigan nothing crazy high or low. The car is great otherwise, the clutch problem is annoying but this is my first replacement…
I wouldn’t worry about that bungie cord.
It is attached to the coil spring of the strut.
This is a common way to help support the axle shaft while they do the clutch job.
I also use them to support the calipers when I do a brake job…and I’ve also left a few on cars.
Yosemite
If they used that bungie cord to support the axle shaft while removing the transaxle, that explains how the CV-joint and bearing got damaged.
It requires removing both axle shafts in order to remove the transaxle to service the clutch.
Tester
50,000 seems like low mileage for the clutch to need replaced , is there an inherent problem with the Focus clutch or was someone really hard on it or maybe this is just an isolated incident ?
Inherent problem with the power shift clutch. Warranty extended to 150,000 miles on the transmissions
Suggest to get a copy of the manufacturer’s clutch replacement procedure from the car’s factory service manual. If it requires both front half shafts be completely removed from the car (both ends of each half-axle in other words) before removing the transmission, and the shop didn’t do that, but instead let the hub-side remain in place, I’d say they’d be on the hook for the damaged CV joint and axle bearing. I’d guess that the procedure says to completely remove them. Likewise if the FSM requires that the wheel alignment be checked as part of the procedure.
However if they did the job by the book, then what happened was probably just a coincidence.
I end up not pay anything besides my damage insurance on my rental.
To me it sounds like there was no charge for the follow up repairs.