If you¡¯ve got all three of those symptoms, you¡¯re looking at needing to replace the wheel bearings on your car. Unfortunately, pinning down a cost for such a broad item is tough. KBB says it¡¯ll run you about $350 for a bad wheel bearing, but that cost can swing wildly. If you have a luxury car like a BMW or Audi, those parts will cost more. I called my shop to see what it¡¯d run on my E46 BMW M3, for example. They told me it¡¯d be about $1,000 to do all four bearings.
Thankfully, things become a bit more reasonable if you¡¯ve got a more affordable used car than me. High-end, depreciated German sports cars are often pricy to fix. KBB estimates the repairs on a used Honda Civic from 2012 to be roughly $500. Reasonable, but keep in mind that if one bearing fails, the rest aren¡¯t far behind.
You can replace bad bearings yourself- if you have lots of tools
But what about the DIY route? It¡¯s certainly cheaper, but only if you¡¯ve got the tools. Do NOT do this if you aren¡¯t a somewhat experienced mechanic. Specific torque specs must be adhered to, and if you don¡¯t know what that means you need to just go to a mechanic. But there¡¯s money to be saved. That 2012 Civic bearing is only $114, meaning you can swap all four for the cost of getting one done should you want to DIY things. No matter what, if you¡¯ve got any excessive noise, grinding, or poor handling, you need to have your wheel bearings examined.
