1997 Subaru Forester Noisy Wheel Bearing

1997 SUBARU FORESTER
258,000 MILES • 2.0L • 4 CYL • AWD • AUTOMATIC
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SAMTHRUPP
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  • 1 POST
Hello,

I recently purchased a second hand car, which underwent a pre-purchase inspection. This inspection revealed no faults of the car, except it needed a wheel alignment. I took the car to have this done, and in the days leading up to this, I noticed a whirring noise coming from the front left side. The mechanic who undertook the wheel alignment also noticed it, and indicated taht it was a noisy wheel bearing. Something about the hub, and that it could be wearing it down through use. He said it could be anywhere from $200-400 or more if its bad, to fix. He doesnt know which wheel it is (although it sounds to me like front left), and wont know how bad it is until he gets inside.

Just wondering if that price sounds reasonable, and if it sounds like he could easily rip me off. Also, should the pre purchase inpsection mechanic have noticed this? it seems to me like he should have.

Thanks you.

Sam.
May 18, 2014 at 9:25 PM
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HMAC300
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if the pre purchase inspection wasn't 'driven then no he wouldn't see it. drive car in a right circle then lh circle if driving right and makes a louder noise then it's the lh side that is bad and the price sounds about right.
May 19, 2014 at 6:25 AM
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JACOBANDNICKOLAS
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I would think that if the vehicle was driven, the person should have heard it. As far as the price, around 200 sounds okay, but 400 is high.

Do this, drive the vehicle in a safe area away from other vehicles and turn left and right while you hear the noise. The noise should change. What happens is when you, for example, turn left, the weight of the vehicle moves more to the left side. If the left bearing is the bad one, the noise should get louder because of the additional load. If it gets less, then it's the right side because the weight is coming away from the right bearing.

Let me know if you have other questions.
May 19, 2014 at 6:28 AM
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