So I had some noise coming from my right rear and suspected it was either my wheel bearing (which is a common Subaru problem) or it was my tires because they were worn and never rotated. So I took the car in and the mechanic said it wasn’t a bearing. I replaced all four tires and got an alignment. The noise was still there. quite louder in the morning when its cooler. I took it back. They claimed they used a stethoscope to pinpoint that the RR wheel bearing was bad. Had the hub assembly and bearing replaced. Seemed quieter… Drove it home and noticed it was a very quiet thump now. I figured it was the best I was gonna get. So I didn.tdrive the car all weekend. Woke up this morning to go to work and it started making a thumping noise louder than ever Still seeming from the RR. After about 30 seconds the loud thumping went away and went back to the quiet barely noticeable but its still there. What else could it be? The mechanic heard no noise from any other bearing. im $1300 in and still having the problem.
This is bad, you will have transfer clutche problems soon, if that is not the problem.
You got rid of worn, unsafe tires. Your subie should be quieter and ride better. If all 4 tires were worn the same than there should be no issue with driveline problems. Diff does not care if u have 4 new tires or 4 evenly worn tires.
what other symptoms would I be experiencing if that is the issue?
Year of car and miles?
2015 with 74000. Like you said, I don’t think its the drivetrain either. I have no symptoms of that. Just thumping at the RR. As I said earlier, Its especially bad when its a cool temp out. This morning it was 67 and was loud as sin. This afternoon was 100 and was quiet
Have someone follow you in another vehicle to see if this occurs.
If it does, that’s called tire bounce from a worn strut/shock.
Tester
do you think that would be worse when the temp was cooler?
Struts/shocks are gas charged.
When it’s cooler, the pressure lowers allowing the hydraulic fluid to aerate in the strut/shock
When it’s hotter, the pressure increases preventing the hydraulic fluid from aerating in the strut/shock.
Tester
im gonna see if someone can follow me tomorrow morning and spot if my wheel leaves the ground. that what it felt like this morning. felt like I was driving on a triangle shaped tire
Brand new tires sitting for a time in a warm spot or after getting warm by driving can flat-spot just a small bit. That can cause a thump when first driven but it rolls out fairly quickly but it takes longer when its cool out. Surely that is coincidental considering the RR bearing replacement BUT you are very sensitive to that corner right now… soooo. Give it some time and it may quiet down as the tread rolls out.
or, swap tires from side/side