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?
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?