Hi guys, seeking some advise please?

I have a 2009 honda Jazz 1.5ex. 3 years ago I was involved in a minor accident on the front right hand side of the car and ended up swerving into a curb/pavement.

Insurance repaired it, however there was a humming sound from the time I got the car back. I took it to get the suspension checked out and was told it was the front right wheel bearing. Insurance refused to repair it claiming that it was a wear and tear part.

So I had it repaired it myself at a local tyre shop about a year ago, they replaced the front right wheel bearing with an aftermarket part. Since then the sound has just gotten worse!!!

I've now taken it to a suspension specialist and he says the bearing got worn out for 3 reasons, either the wheel bearing they used was a cheap part, incorrect installation, or the stub axle knuckle is bent and therefore the bearing is not sitting correctly so it got worn out quick.

I'm completely stuck with what to do now, I phoned honda agents to get pricing for a new bearing, hub and knuckle and there prices are extremely high, like 5 times the aftermarket price. I don't want to replace a knuckle if it doesn't need replacing, but I'm worried I buy a bearing set from the honda agents and it gets worn out quickly because the knuckle could be damaged. The suspension specialist said it's hard to tell if a knuckle is bent because the insurance could have pushed it back out with a press so the car can pass wheel alignment.

Another thing is, with honda jazz 2009 there's a big confusion when it comes to getting pricing for aftermarket bearings...some suppliers say it comes with a sealed bearing and no hub...while others including honda say it comes with the bearing and you must replace hub as well.

I'm considering just putting on a high quality aftermarket bearing with the suspension specialist and seeing how that goes....(could have been an incorrect installation the first time or cheap bearing) if this doesn't last then I'll put a new axle knuckle.

Any advise will be highly appreciated I'm really stuck here...thanks!!!

 

Hi Kyle,
It seems to be like axle repairing issue, as axle is a way technical thing to do yourself, I will not prefer it.If you are somewhere near California, I would most likely to refer Axle Surgeon .They are experienced and qualified for this repair job.

 

Its hard to say without looking at it but it definitely could have been a junk bearing or a bad install. If you impact the axle nut on you can put divits in the bearing races if you really “ugga dugga” it. You can also damage them if they are pressed in wrong.

there are also other possible causes of whirring/humming such as tires and/or misalignment but any decent shop should be able to diagnose a bearing issue. Usually if you lift up the front of the car and spin the tires you can hear the bearing noise and there may even be looseness in the bearing if its been bad for a while.

Timken and SKF bearings have been long lasting for me rockauto has them for about $50+shipping a shop should charge less than 2 hrs to replace one.

As far as the hub it is generally pressed out of the old bearing and pressed into the new bearing. Some mechanics are lazy and just make the customer pay.


you shouldn’t have to replace the knuckle or axle unless they were damaged in the accident. I wouldn’t think either would cause the sound your describing unless they were bent and throwing off your alignment causing tire noise.