FRONT WHEEL BEARING MAINT AT 30K

[taff]

In the owners manual, it states front wheel bearing need to be repact at every 30K mile interval. I went to two mechanics(non dealer) and they wanted $ 400 for this job. They both also stated most people don't get this done because it is costly, and for little more you can get the whole bearings replace when it goes bad. Do most people here get this done? If not, how many miles can you go before it goes bad. And when it goes bad, will it give you enough warnings before a wheel falls off. Thanks in advance for any advice you can give, or let me know how many miles you have driven without this service.

[XPLORx4]

$400 for a wheel bearing repack!!!??? OMG, what a ripoff! For starters, you can drive a lot longer than 30K before you have to repack the bearings. I don't necessarily recommend that you do this, but I drove ~60K miles before repacking the bearings. It shouldn't take a qualified mechanic more than an hour per side to repack the bearings.

 

If you have the wherewithall to do it yourself, it's not really that hard. It's just kinda messy.

[herm]

I've rolled 100,000 miles on original wheel bearing grease with no problems. I'll repack or replace them this season along with new brake rotors (also original). Unless you spend a lot of time submerged I don't see the immediate need at 30k. Wheel bearings usually start to complain before they go completely bad.

[lewisnc100]

Mine went at just under 90k with no maintenance. Slowly started to feel a kind washboard effect as the races began to get marks. Replacing the inner and outer bearings and races and inner seals were under $100 in parts and available at about any auto parts store.

[Pezzy]

If you're mechanically inclined at all, or have friends who are, I would suggest doing them yourself. I did mine last fall, and as XPLORx4 said, it's pretty easy, just a bit messy. I have heard it recommended if you wheel your truck (mud & water Xings) to do them more often.

 

When I did mine, they still had the original grease in them (at maybe 80,000 kms) and they were still in good shape.

[Trainman]

My shop recommends for me in how I use my Pathy (daily worker in the woods but not hard core off roading like Pezzy ) re-packing at 100,000 km (62,000 miles) or with a break job that involves machining or replacing the rotors. 1-1½ hours per side plus new seals. Sounds like you are being taken for a ride :contract: unless you are a hard core offroader, in which case you would probably do the bearings yourself.

 

I had a bearing fail on my Mercury Mystique that the Pathy replaced but it gave lots of warning, no catastrophic wheel falling off or anything like that so I would run your Pathy until you think it needs the work. If you let it go too long, you will have to replace the bearing at extra cost :sniff: . Did you buy the truck new or used? What kind of use and maintenance has it had? When in doubt, get a second opinion and read all these responses :gossip: .

[edta1]

HIGHWAY ROBBERY!! $400??? I repacked mine at about 50K mi. It costs me $0 (since I had a can of grease from previous job) and about 1-1.5hr per side to repack. The 2nd side goes a lot faster since you have a good idea how to put the thing back together. At 30K you shouldn't have to replace the bearing (unless you do off-roading a lot). If you are a DIY person, definitely roll up your sleeves and do it yourself.

[taff]

Thanks everyone for your great input. I bought my Pathfinder brand new back in 1999, and I always maintain it by myself. It only went to the garage for tires, alignment, and one O2 sensor. It now has 72K miles on it and thought front bearing is due for repack. Both garages I went to had a computer hookup to somekind of network. They typed in Nissan, Year, Pathfinder, and came back showing that it was a 4.3 hr job with parts, and they wern't to eager to do the job. Being so standardized, I didn't think they were trying to jip me until I called a dealer for the same job and they only wanted $200! I guess I was kind of getting lazy by take it to a garage, but you guys got me motivated to do this by myself. Now I just have to find a hub lock wrench.

[lewisnc100]

Search for tool OTC7698, I've got that one. Also if you can find it CTA4170 is cheaper but everyone was back-ordered when I was looking.

[XPLORx4]

I recently replaced a front hub on my truck. Naturally, repacking the front bearings involves much of the same labor. Photos are at this link if you're interested in finding out what's involved. Note: not all of the steps (such as removing the rotor bolts) are required to repack the bearings.

Edited April 26, 2005 by XPLORx4