wheel bearing change and other misc question

[sub0]

Hello All,

Just come back from the shop to change brakes for my Camry with 345000 Km. After is done the guy said I need front wheel bearing and he said it cost $ 250.00 or $ 500.00 both left and right front. Is he asking too much ?

How can he tell the wheel bearing is no good ? All he did is to more the wheel left or right when the car is jack up and the are some or a little room there. And he said is almost time to change it at that high mileage.

I search thru. google and it said if the wheel bearing go, I should here the noise from the wheel and will increase if I drive faster and faster or at higher speed. But so far there is no noice when I doing 10 - 120 km/hr

I am not saying I don't trust him, just want some other input.

Also there are some anti-freeze leaking maybe 2 - 3 drops on the floor after I parking my car park inside the garage for more that 10 hrs. He told me is from the engine not from the hose and don't worth it to fix now. And I was wonder I went to Canadian tire and saw a product make by "DUNk" call Engine block anti freeze leak stop. Say I need to empty the anti-freeze and fill it with water and add the bottle and let it run for a while will st op the leak.

Anyone try this or should I don't do anything for now or other product I should try.

One more question, I have a little rust at the real panel close to the tire. I am going to get some rush protection to put on it and for paint. I think dealer only carry the pen type not the whole small can. Since the car is over 10 years old. Is there any other place I can find the color match if I get them the orginal color code.

[nogard]

One tablespoon of black pepper will fit your leak. Add it to the radiator. You know your leak is probably coming from the O-ring on the back of the water pump. That is a common place for it to leak. My 3VZ-FE (V6) was leaking at this point, and I had a tercel that was leaking at the same spot.

[nogard]

That is how you check for a wheel bearing. It doesn't take much, sometimes the less you move the wheel the easier it is to feel. Also when it is up in the air and (he) or someone is moving the tire a little you can look at it from the side and actually see the tire moving a little. When you move it very slight if the wheel bearing is bad you can feel it poping back and forth. Kind of like a bad ball and socket joint would do. Like I said you only have to move it a little bit to make it pop, if you are to violent when moving the wheel you might not feel it.

[GrkBallaG]

Originally Posted by sub0

All he did is to more the wheel left or right when the car is jack up and the are some or a little room there.

Moving the wheel left to right would indicate some play in the steering, not the wheel bearing. Up and down will tell you about the wheel bearing.

[Novice_cardude]

Originally Posted by GrkBallaG

Moving the wheel left to right would indicate some play in the steering, not the wheel bearing. Up and down will tell you about the wheel bearing.

What he said. Side to side generally means a bad tie rod, inner or outer.

I don't know if Camry bearings are press-in or hub asseblies. Both cost a lot... And yeah, you should be able to hear a growling from the front at all speeds if the bearings are really bad.

[toyomoho]

The front bearings are pressed in and require taking off the knuckle. Retail price of one bearing is $30-50 (US) for non-OEM. The Toyota service manual has a detailed procedure for checking wheel-bearing condition. Normally these bearings are changed because they are making noise, this noise gets louder as the bearing wears. Do your own test, jack up a tire and check for play as discribed by TN members and post back. If your concern is the rim coming off, you would normally hear the growl and the bearing play/noise would be obvious (even to you).

Suggest you try to track down the coolant leak yourself. It is not that hard to do, look for a trail of coolant stains.

An automobile paint dealer will be able to match the color. They usually have a book with color chips for each cars year/model. Not sure what the minimum purchase is, usually a quart. Unfortunately auto paint is not longer cheap. If you have a metallic color or the paint has faded with age, don’t expect a perfect color match.

[sub0]

Hello All,
Thank you for all the reply.

1). Wheel bearing, I can't remember he move the wheel up and down or left and right.
He usually work for a toyota dealer before and now he have his own shop for a few years
now. I was refer by my friend. I am not question his point of view but for $ 500.0 to change the bearing. Do I really have tio change it right away ? He also told me the bearing cost around $ 90 - $ 100 each (CDN) and the rest are labour, since it take 4 HRs at least to do both. I was wonder is he charging too much or is a fair price.
I let him change 4 brakes ( I supply him the brake pads) and I need to refinish all 4 disks
He charge me $ 200.00 for labour incl. sanding/refinish all 4 disks is that reasonable charge ?

2). leaking - I check everywhere can't see where the leak coming, since it was block by the engine. I trying to follow the water mark and is hard. The only way I can do it is to jack the car up is middle air before I can see a little more. I have this leak before I change the timing bell at 300,000 km and I think the other guy did change my water pump too. So it might not coming from the water pump. Will 1 table spood of papper really work ? Or should I try the rad. stop leak by (Gunk). IS not a big deal for leaking 2 -3 drops per day. But hate seeing that on my garage floor. And specially there is more when the weather is cold. That why first I through is the hose but it not I check it no sign was leak from the hose.


3). Paint - I was looking for some matching color paint to cover the rust spot. The pen is no good from the dealer since there is so little paint. So I need a little bit more. MAybe after I get the orginal color code form my Camry and go from there.

This Camry run so well and even have close to 350K it run even better that so new car. Hate to let it go.

Sub0

[marc780]

I dont know the exchange rate but his price sounds about right. Thats mostly for labor and seems fair for what he has to do. With the number of miles on the car his diagnosis makes sense too, the wheel bearings are "cassete" pressed in type and not possible to repack them, they just get replaced.

A better product for fixing coolant leaks is aluma seal. I have used it many times and it works well and doesnt seem to clog up the engine much.

[sub0]

Hello,

Where or who make Aluma seal ? Thanks


Sub0