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Thread: Front wheel bearings serviced - Cost of labor and parts at Midas

  1. #1

    Front wheel bearings serviced - Cost of labor and parts at Midas

    I just had both my front wheel bearings replaced at Midas this week and wanted to share my thoughts and experience. My 2015 Mitsubishi Mirage DE started developing a wheel bearing noise about a month ago and I immediately became worried. The noise sounded like a howl/growl coming from the front of the car but I couldn't tell if it was the left or right wheel bearing. Regardless, I would've replaced both at the same time anyway. The noise could be heard starting around 30 MPH to 55 MPH, at its loudest. I could also feel a vibration through the steering wheel and the noise would become louder when making wide high speed right turns like highway on/off ramps.

    A little background information. When I purchased my Mirage (with 75k miles October 2020) I noticed it had 3 oem steel wheels and 1 aftermarket steel wheel. Also, the TPMS light was on. My guess is the original owner must've hit a curb and damaged the oem steel wheel and the wheel bearing. I have a hunch this is what caused my wheel bearing to die an early life. They likely replaced the damaged wheel with something similar in size and didn't bother to put in a new TPMS sensor and got rid of the car. My other set of programmed wheels with working TPMS sensors does not turn on the light.

    Anyways, I use my car for Grubhub (now at 97k miles July 2021) so it's very important that it is in good running condition. If my car is out of service then I'm not generating the additional bit of income that has helped me so much since purchasing my Mirage. And, since I am a 1099 contractor, my car is a "business asset" and so I didn't hesitate to pay for the "business expense". I will try to write-off the repair bill at tax time. I figured the sooner I can get back on the road the sooner I can continue generating income and move on.

    I paid a total of $908.14, which was way more than I would've liked to. I would've replaced the front wheel bearings myself but after learning how difficult it can be with the Mirage's setup I decided to pay for service. Part of my problem was I didn't prepare for this issue by sourcing the parts and tools needed in time. Also, I work two jobs and have many other obligations right now that I just don't have the time nor the patience to take on this difficult repair.

    The repair was done in a matter of hours, same day turnaround since we ordered the parts before the work began, and fortunately no other issues were found. I'm back on the road doing my deliveries again and my Mirage feels great. I'm happy with how everything turned out even though it cost me an arm and a leg.

    What do you think about this? Were the costs fair? What would you do differently?

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    PS: I'm thinking about a plan for future front wheel bearing replacements. I want to buy used steering knuckles and wheel hub assemblies so i can press in new bearings myself. Then, when it comes time to do a front wheel bearing replacement I can just swap these pre-assembled parts and simplify the process. I need to visit a junkyard for donor assemblies and order the other parts online.

    What do you think?


    Last edited by davidricardo86; 07-25-2021 at 04:43 AM.

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    Senior Member Dirk Diggler's Avatar
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    I think for those of us that aren't mechanically inclined and own a Mirage, extremely high repair bills is a fact of life for us. I went through a brake job and both the front pads had to be replaced and the rear drums as well. The front pads were a cinch and my rotors were resurfaced but the two drums in the back were toast at only 45 to 50k miles, I can't remember. My mechanic, who I trust, ordered 2 different drums from NAPA that were supposed to fit but they didn't. He ended up having to go to a Mitsubishi dealership and buying OEM drums. They were $250 each, but I got lucky because he stuck with his original quote of I believe $330 for the entire brakejob. He hadn't of done this it would of costed me over $700 to fix my brakes. I feel bad for new Mirage owners thinking their econobox includes cheap maintenance, it does not, not even close.

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    Moderator Eggman's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by davidricardo86 View Post
    What do you think about this? Were the costs fair?
    $450 for parts, $450 for labor. Sounds fair and very likely cheaper than a dealership.

    Quote Originally Posted by davidricardo86 View Post
    What would you do differently?
    Seems you made the right call for your situation. Better than ordering the parts online, starting the job, needing that one tool you don’t have and the parts delivered don’t fit. Good call and good write-up.

        __________________________________________

        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2015 Mirage ES 1.2 manual: 49.6 mpg (US) ... 21.1 km/L ... 4.7 L/100 km ... 59.5 mpg (Imp)


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    Any idea if the new wheel bearing was OEM? Because Front Wheel bearings start at $10 on rockauto.

    In my opinion MIDAS really bends you over on the parts price. For example they charge $78 CAD PER front Raybestos Brake rotor. This same rotor is $15 CAD on rockauto. They markup the parts price to make it look like you are getting a decent deal on labour/overall.

  6. #5
    Quote Originally Posted by davidricardo86 View Post
    What would you do differently?
    I would have only replaced the failing bearing. It bet it was somehow contaminated or had a manufacturing defect.

    You say you weren't sure which one was going bad, but you actually identified it when you said the noise was worse in wide/fast right turns. (Hint: it was the left side bearing under the additional load due to weight transfer in those right turns).

    In my experience, wheel bearings can make noise for a long time before they're a problem, so it's not an emergency repair. Lots of time to source parts & tools or get repair quotes.

        __________________________________________

        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2014 Mirage ES 1.2 manual: 63.2 mpg (US) ... 26.9 km/L ... 3.7 L/100 km ... 75.9 mpg (Imp)


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    Senior Member Top_Fuel's Avatar
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    The next time you are in that situation, consider grabbing a low-mileage spare knuckle with a good OEM bearing already in it and ready to bolt on. No press required.

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        __________________________________________

        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2015 Mirage ES 1.2 manual: 52.2 mpg (US) ... 22.2 km/L ... 4.5 L/100 km ... 62.6 mpg (Imp)


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    Senior Member Dirk Diggler's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Top_Fuel View Post
    The next time you are in that situation, consider grabbing a low-mileage spare knuckle with a good OEM bearing already in it and ready to bolt on. No press required.

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    Great find Top Fuel but the issue is finding a shop to put your parts in and not what they order there to make more money. My guy won't even consider putting in parts that he can't himself warranty.

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    Senior Member Top_Fuel's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Dirk Diggler View Post
    ...the issue is finding a shop to put your parts in and not what they order there to make more money.
    I made this suggestion because it sounded like the OP might have attempted this repair himself, but it was more complicated than he expected and required some specialty tools (like a press to install the bearings).

    Having a completely assembled knuckle with a bearing already in it makes a job like this a lot simpler. If you have limited time and tools, replacing the entire knuckle assembly would be the way for a DIYer to do this repair.

        __________________________________________

        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2015 Mirage ES 1.2 manual: 52.2 mpg (US) ... 22.2 km/L ... 4.5 L/100 km ... 62.6 mpg (Imp)


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    Senior Member Dirk Diggler's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Top_Fuel View Post
    I made this suggestion because it sounded like the OP might have attempted this repair himself, but it was more complicated than he expected and required some specialty tools (like a press to install the bearings).

    Having a completely assembled knuckle with a bearing already in it makes a job like this a lot simpler. If you have limited time and tools, replacing the entire knuckle assembly would be the way for a DIYer to do this repair.
    Makes sense I agree. I just wish shops wouldn't be so myopic in where they order their parts from. My shop exclusively orders from Napa, which has a lousy part selection for the Mirage in my experience. I will say the Napa serpentine belt they installed is high quality though, very quiet.

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    I’m having the same issue and I would like to take top fuel’s advice, but my question is would I be safe to install a steering knuckle from the hatch back into my G4?



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