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From all of us at Partste.ng

From all of us at Partste.ng, thank you for your patronage. Let's do it again from 6th of January, 2025, when we will reopen for business.

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Servicing your wheel bearings is pretty simple, you can simply remove the dust cover and seal, remove the bearings, clean them well with brake cleaner, inspect for wear, and then re-pack the bearings with new grease. We like to use a bearing packer, but you can pack them manually as well

How Do Wheel Bearings Break?
As a general rule, wheel bearing failure can occur from general wear and tear throughout a vehicle’s life. In vintage cars, wheel bearings are serviced regularly with automotive grease and a replacement seal, so when maintenance is foregone, failure will occur. But in modern vehicles, the wheel bearings are sealed permanently and are not serviced. They are replaced only when their failure is discovered. However, this does not guarantee that a wheel bearing will never fail. There are many reasons for a wheel bearing failure which are not limited to overloading, collision impacts, and extended mileage.

Can Wheel Bearings be Serviced?
Wheel bearings need periodic checking and depending on the type of wheel bearings in your car, there are a variety of service options. Wheel bearings most commonly fail for the following reasons:

Misadjustment
Contamination
Loss of grease
Fatigue spalling
Wheel bearings on most modern cars sit inside a sealed hub assembly that is mounted inside the steering knuckle. These sealed bearings are maintenance-free, but if a sealed bearing has gone bad there is no other option but to replace it. The average lifespan of sealed bearings is typically anywhere from 80,000 to 120,000 miles. Sealed bearings are more expensive than serviceable bearings, but they come prepacked with grease and don’t require regular maintenance.

In the case of a serviceable bearing (one that isn’t sealed), the seals are the bearing’s weakest point and are vulnerable to leaking. Once a seal is damaged, it can cause grease to leak out and water and dirt to leak inside the bearing cavity.

In older vehicles, the seal can be replaced to extend the life of the bearings. When serviceable bearings are subject to water, mud, or consistently harsh elements, they may need to be regreased and repacked. It’s generally recommended to have serviceable wheel bearings repacked with grease at around 40,000 miles.

What Do Bad Wheel Bearings Do to Your Car?
Driving a car with a bad wheel bearing is technically possible, but to do so is pushing your luck, and wheel bearings that are worn, seized, or missing can cause a cascade of additional problems.

At the more serious end of the scale, a wheel bearing that is left to wear down is at risk of seizing and locking your vehicle’s axle. This is definitely something you don’t want to happen when driving, and if it does, the car cannot be driven or moved.

What Happens If I Don’t Replace Bad Wheel Bearings?

Ignoring wheel bearing issues can affect braking performance. A low brake pedal feel is caused by a misalignment of the brake rotor to the brake caliper when severe failure is imminent. Also, a potential loss of steering control can develop if faulty wheel bearings are not replaced because a change in vehicle camber and toe will cause unstable tracking and handling when driving. Finally, in some extreme cases, a bad wheel bearing can cause the wheel/tire assembly to come off of the vehicle, potentially leading to an accident.

Signs of a Bad Wheel Bearing:

Tire wear: Even if you rotate your tires regularly, worn wheel bearings can cause noticeably uneven tire wear. As bearings begin they fail, they become loose – a condition known as ‘bearing play’. This isn’t felt through the steering wheel but is detected by visually inspecting the tires.

Signs of a Bad Wheel Bearing:

Car pulling to one side: Instead of driving where the steering wheel is pointed, the car may feel like it wants to keep veering in a particular direction or wandering.