Brakes discs, wheel bearing and more- question

slight_return

Hi

I've not been a car owner for long, so some guidance on the fairness or lack of on some quotes would be much appreciated, since I basically have no idea.
I took my car, a 1999 fiesta, for a service. They said it needed 1 new front wheel bearing (loose) and both front brake discs changed (corrosion). They wanted a little over £350.
I took it to another garage and they broke the quote down, saying for these jobs I'd need:

1 bearing £93
Wheel alignment £26
2 brake discs £80 (40 each)
Brake pad set £76
Roll bar link 55
Total: £332

I really have no idea what this kind of job should cost, or if all these parts are needed or not. If they are, is this at least a reasonable price or a complete rip off?
Also, they said the car is not safe to drive with a loose wheel bearing.
Any thoughts?

Many thanks.

anewman

A car is not safe to drive with a loose wheel bearing true. I'm surprised there's no evidence it's loose though. They normally let you know something is wrong through noise (bit like an aircraft/whining), vibrations, or whatever. Easy way to tell for yourself if the bearing is loose is to put handbrake firmly on, jack up said wheel so it's off the ground then grab at 12 o clock and 6 o clock and very firmly (being careful not to knock it off the jack) push the top while pulling the bottom and vice-versa. If the bearing is loose there will be noticeable play (i,e, you can move it back and forth and make it knock off something making a noticeable noise. There will likely be some movement but the type of movement a bearing that needs replacing makes is very distinct and will be different to the one that is fine).

Prices don't seem too bad if they're all inclusive, parts, labour, vat. But I have some doubt whether you need a new bearing.

Premier_2

I'm confused. Does this include labour too?

1 wheel bearing - about £20 plus £25 labour
Wheel alignment - yeah about £20 -£25 if adjustment is necessary (it always is! :cool:)
Brake discs - about £50 -£80 per pair
Brake pads - about £50 per pair (of wheels)
Labour for brakes - about 1 hour /£50
Roll bar link? Not sure what you mean by this

Above prices are for genuine Ford parts. Alternative suppliers may be cheaper.

anewman

Premier wrote: »

Roll bar link? Not sure what you mean by this.

Will be the anti-roll bar drop links, joining the wishbone with the ARB.

hewhoisnotintheknow

i thought it was only VAG cars that the wheels bearings went on these days!

slight_return

Thanks for the replies.
I should have added that these prices include parts, labour and vat.

I'm not sure whether this is evidence of a loose bearing or not, but for a while the car has made a rattling noise every time it passes over a rough surface (even mildly rough). The noise goes away on smooth surfaces such as motorways. I was told that this is evidence of a loose wheel bearing.

Premier_2

anewman wrote: »

Will be the anti-roll bar drop links, joining the wishbone with the ARB.

Thanks - they are normally replaced as a pair, but can be bought singly. Genuine Ford parts are about £40 a pair, but copy parts are about £10 or less a pair.

Not sure on the labour, but not much I would have thought.

Premier_2

slight_return wrote: »

Thanks for the replies.
I should have added that these prices include parts, labour and vat.

I'm not sure whether this is evidence of a loose bearing or not, but for a while the car has made a rattling noise every time it passes over a rough surface (even mildly rough). The noise goes away on smooth surfaces such as motorways. I was told that this is evidence of a loose wheel bearing.

Road surface doesn't usually affect wheel bearing noise.

In fact a smooth surface would probably make it seem worse as the tyre noise becomes less.

Does the noise disappear when you brake gently? (though I find this tends to be more with drum brakes than disc brakes)

anewman

Yeah and a rattle could be from anywhere.

A loose wheel bearing is like this when being checked....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JSsC-lWB1lg

This is the best video I could find to explain the sort of noise a dud bearing makes, but they can all sound quite different. You generally get a hum/whine. The noise is generally consistent with the speed the car is doing.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DHevcaO65Xc

slight_return

Well could the rattling have anything to do with break discs?
The mechanic definitely said words to the effect that if the noise went away on a smooth surface, but rattled on bumpy roads, it's probably a loose wheel bearing. Though as I think back, I do recall the guy at the desk saying a rattling probably had nothing to do with wheel bearings. Sigh... ignorance isn't bliss after all.

Pew_Pew_Pew_Lasers!

The ARB link would make that sound. The wheel bearing would not.