I recently took my car into a shop after thinking the parking brake cable had snapped while still activated. The mechanic, recommended on the site, said I need to replace both front wheel bearings but could not find anything wrong with the car that would cause concern. I called around for the best price and found a place closer to my house. I drove my car from the one mechanic shop to the next which was about 20 miles of highway driving. I was told yesterday that the hub was burned and the wheel bearing had fused to the hub. First of all, is this even possible? If so, how was I able to drive without the car seizing up on the highway? Also, how much labor does it really cost labor wise to fix? I’ve read about it online and most mechanics say it is an easy process. Any help would be truly appreciated!!!
What year civic? How many Miles? Is this possible? YES. How could you drive it? Bearing wasn’t yet burned enough to seize and fuse to the hub. How expensive? You’ll have to have it disassembled first to see how extensive the damage is. Why didn’t you have the bad wheel bearings changed at the 1st mechanic before the damage was done? Did you drive through a lot of water with this car recently? Rocketman
What is the year and mileage of your Civic? You didn’t provide this vital information.
If I read this correctly, you were driving your Civic and it felt as if the parking brake was still on, even though you released it, and that’s why you took the car to “a shop.” Is that correct?
The mechanic at “a shop” told you the wheel bearings were bad, and needed to be replaced. Then you called around for a better price, and drove the car 20 more miles. Is that correct?
Now you are unhappy because the damage is more severe and the repair is more expensive. Is that correct?
To answer your questions:
“Is this even possible?” Yes.
“How was I able to drive without the car seizing up on the highway?” You’re extremely lucky.
“How much labor does it cost?” You shouldn’t worry about this right now. You could have had the bearings replaced by the first mechanic, before you drove the car an additional 20 miles and fused them to the hubs. Now it may cost more. And please don’t think about taking the car to another shop. You probably won’t make it.