Reply With Quoteget quotes on the parts from a few places and then ask him how much for labour.
Smarter and cheeper in most instances.
Replacing front bearings
I just wrote my mechanic a blank check this morning. I hate estimates because you know that the real cost is always $50 to 100 more than they estimate.
He is replacing front bearings for both sides on my 91 camry. Probably going to charge in the range of $300 to $400 for the job.
Offered a service for $130 as well.
People tell me to get a new car, but I question whether maintenance will be cheaper ...
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get quotes on the parts from a few places and then ask him how much for labour.
Smarter and cheeper in most instances.
$300 wouldn't be too steep. From memory I think the front bearings on those SV camry's are pressed into the hub, so the job itself is a bit labour intensive. Not to mention the care that must be taken with a job like this. It would be interesting to see what the final price is.
These bearings are a single unit, which is pressed into the wheel hub. You have to pull off the rotor, brakes, steering knuckle and unbolt the hub from the front strut and arm. The bearing is then pressed out with a 10 ton or better press.
This shows you what it looks like. This guy heated the thing with a gas torch don’t even think of doing that it could affect the heat treatment of the assembly and cause it to fail.
Very important the centre hub which the wheel bolts to can be damaged by bad wheel bearings it should be a tight fit and require a press to remove and install. If its surface is damaged or it’s at all loose, the new bearing will not last long at all. Other things which may need looking at are CV joint boots, which maybe split, and leaking.
Trade these bearings non-genuine are about $50.00 each with a set of seals each so $300.00 to do the job seems ok to me. Not sure how much genuine Toyota bearings are but I would expect more than non-genuine.
My car shares the same centre hub so I actually managed to remove one from a Camry at the wreckers which saved me heaps
Yep these bearings are a pain in the butt.
If care is taken they can be punched out of and into place you really dont need a press but you do need a tube that snuggly fits the outer race of the bearing when punching back in.
Never force a new bearing into place using the inner race as a whack/press point, as all the force is placed through the bearings and there races. You will end up causing more harm than good.
$300 sounds fair for the job.
Generally what the parts cost= Labour cost, so $150 for 2 sets of bearings, some high temp bearing grease, degreaser and some cotter pins + $150 labour sounds about right.
Service for $130 sounds average if they do the job properly.
Anyone who's done a real factory type service can tell you if all has been done by the book that $130 is good value not having to get your hands dirty for a few dollars saved.
One thing Ive found though is almost all non dealership mechanics use cheap aftermarket parts.
A Toyota will run more reliably with genuine factory parts, however the cost factor leads many owners and mechanics to use non genuine parts.
The quality of the genuine Toyota components is excellent and they are very well engineered.
Wheel bearings are sourced by Toyota from outside bearing manufacturers, a close inspection of the bearing will probably reveal a NSK or such marking.
I would recommend a press as when I did them I was using a 10-ton press and both need a LOT of pressure to free up and move. When they eventually did, it went pop as the pressure released.
Secondly, the inner shell of the bearing is split into two halves so when you put the centre hub back in it needs to be pushed on and both shells meet in the middle. Punching it might not achieve that. It might push home when you put the nut on the shaft but if not it will self-destruct on you latter on.
just done a set of front wheel bearings in a (88) camry and a (90) laser, bearings were $70 for the ford and nearer $100 for the camry.
if your mechanically minded (and have a manual if needed) they are not that hard to do, a press while nice if you have access to one isn't needed but a good vice and a lump hammer are
after delicately (smashing the crap outta it with a punch/chisel) removing the old bearing and race use the old bearing race to hammer (carefully) the new bearing home.
saved myself heaps
i today myself outlayed over $700 to a mechanic to do a timing belt on a 95 camry, theres some things that while i can do...id sooner not.
NS
I am a qualified mechanic being in the trade for 37yrs i have crewd for a top fuel drag raceing team in aust and build speedway super sedans and built engines for saloon cars im only going to say this once do yoou do your own electrical wireing in your house or do you do your own plumbing i know i dont i leave it to the experts dont and i mean dont do home mechanics unless you are compedent to do it or have someone qualified helping you it worries me when i see people replaceing things like front wheel bearing and saying i smashed them out i see cars all the time that have had backyard mechanics fitting brakes (and of corse useing cheep pads and shoes) then wonder why it all went wrong
@ noservice if you paid $700 just for a cambelt on a camry v6 find a new mechanic thats $250 to much assuming they just did a belt
Guys remember when you do things like front W/bearings etc you are playing with the saftey of yourself your familly and fellow drivers on the road
i have no probs with someone doing there own services tunes even haveing a go at rebuilding there engine but suspension brakes wheels and tyers imop should be left to the experts
sorry for the rant but just my opinion
Just a quick side note to what i said is i have a mitsu evo lancer and a vrx outlander and they both go back to mitsu for serviceing as i dont want the hassel if something goes wrong with them and they say its something i did when i serviced them so for me its cheep insurance
i get my cars done every 6mths or 5000kms and wont allow any products like engine flush or injector clean (sorry wynns)
the outlander is 14mths old and has 16000k on the clock and has been serviced twice and the lancer has been done once (waste of a car as it gets pussy footed around) the secret to car engine life is regular serviceing with good quality parts
I agree with that to an extent although I would hate to see restrictions put on what I can legally do. I bought a Corolla for a friend once and tested it before settling the deal. The brakes where shocking but I did not care, as I would fix them anyway as part of getting it roadworthy.
Anyway, I pulled the rear drums off and found someone had attempted to replace the shoes. They had put them wrong way round and not attached the hand brake cable, one entire tensioner was missing, and the other side had no return spring.
Other than that the car was pretty good but it did make me check it more carefully than normal in case the phantom mechanic had done other work.
37 years on the tools is a long time wow.
yer i scared myself when i said how long ive been doing this
i cant (wont) do things like 4wd clutches and gearbox rebuilds any more as my back doesnt like it
but i probbarly ranted abit in my post but it really does worry me sometimes when i get cars in my shop that really shouldnt be on the road and as you say things like brake shoes the wrong way round are really potentoly dangerous
the big problem is a lot of people cannot afford to keep there cars running because i will say there a lot of workshops that are very happy to rip the customer off i i do stress anyone wishing to undertake there own repairs think before you lay your hammer into it
to clarify a point or 2Originally Posted by tas
its a 2.2 4cyl not a v6 and along with the timing belt/tensioner etc it had new oil seals/cam seals/waterpump and new v belts , while its apart as they say....
i agree major work on suspension is a no no for most people but people like i who has spent a few years in cars yards and a lot on farms can do most things involving a spanner/hammer and yakka, try splitting a tractor in half!
NS
I have a GT4 and if it were not so nice to drive, I would have shot it long ago. I thought doing a clutch on a steel 5-speed box was bad its nothing compared with having to drop the entire motor, gearbox, transfer case out the bottom of the car, and lift the body out of the way to change a clutch. I have also rebuilt the motor and turbo. Fitting carbon seals to the turbo fixed its oil-drinking problem along with a boost increase a fuel cut raised.
Interestingly a set of chromium rings for my car cost less than Briggs and Stratton wanted for a pair of rings for my ride on mower. Thank god for EBay. Ring set and full seal kit from the US was $41.00 air mailed.
I use to think it was fun to lay under a car with oil dripping in my face now I only do it to avoid paying someone else too.
Doing the cam seals and water pump while doing the belt is a great idea. As its and odds on bet they are not far behind the belt in needing changing and it’s the same amount of work stripping the covers and belt to change them alone.
The cam seals go hard and crack and leak with heat and age.
NoService yes ive split tractors to do clutches etc on massey furges lernt the hard way on my first when putting it back together i punched the centre out of the clutch plate and told em to stick there job when a big job came in on one with a cab i dont need that shit
ps, im in adelaide and theres no laws here like there is concerneng doing your own electrical work but i was under the impresion in the eastern states you needed to be qualified to work on cars does anyone know if that is right ?
Not in Victoria thankfully.
Just stuff like lpg conversions and AC regassing but really thats just a restriction on buying cfc gases.
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