i ended up getting mine from advance auto parts it was a little more expensive than online, but it has a 1 year replacement and it was the same KOYO brand as online. other than that as soon as i put it on i spun it and it was smooth as silk... thanks george for the write up saved me 450 duckies.

 

Well, you could send me half...

Glad it went well! Enjoy the quiet.

 

An easier way to determine which side the bad hub is on is to drive the in a large empty parking lot. Make some fairly sharp turns in each direction. When you turn take note if the noise gets louder or goes away. If you turn left and the noise goes away and you turn right and the noise gets louder, then the left rear bearing is the culprit. If you turn right and the noise gose away and you turn left and the noise gets louder, then the right rear bearing is the culprit.

 

My left rear is bad, at 35k.
I'm taking it in this week to have the dealer (hopefully) swap it.

 

You're lucky it was inside of warranty!

 

Barely. I'm at 35,470.

 

dammit, now I really have to check this tomorrow.

 

Just jack it up, pull the wheel and drum, and turn the hub. If it feels "graunchy" it's going bad. Compare the sides as they seldom fail at the same time.

 

50-60K seems to be the norm, though I haven't heard of anyone having two go out on the same car. I suspect that a batch of bearings with bad metallurgy slipped through.

The bearing is the same one that is on the Echo, so I suspect that it's a bit underdesigned for the added weight of the xB.

 

Well, compared to the old style bearings you pay more for the bearing but less for the installation.

The new hub assembly requires disassembly of 8 nuts/bolts and one electrical connector with no adjustment. 15 minutes for a slow mechanic or about $50 labor, but close to $200 in parts.

Old style bearings would require removal of four lug nuts, the spindle cap, a cotter pin, spindle nut, driving a bearing out of a hub and another off of the spindle, packing the new bearings, driving the new bearings into the hub and onto the spindle, reassembling the hub, adjusting the bearing play, reinstalling the cotter pin and dust cap, and reinstalling the drum and wheel. With normal labor rates this would probably run a couple of hundred at least. Parts would only be $60 or so.

For the person paying the dealer to do the job it's probably a wash. For the do-it-yourself person the cost is higher but the grease and cussing factor is lower.

Compared to conventional bearings the sealed hub is quite large and heavy, but the lever arm between bearings is very small which means that the bearings need to be larger.

 

So is the aftermarket hub and bearing still good? I have an 04 xa that is in serious need of a new left rear.

 

After 15K miles the Toyo replacement bearing is working perfectly.

Considering how the OEM bearings are failing quite regularly I prefer the aftermarket bearing.

 

I have to replace my rear bearings also
they went out at around 55k

 

junkyard ftw!
not a full fix yet itll do for the time being till needed.

btw, great info.

 

mine just went out... i have the 100k extended warranty... should i try and get it fixed at the dealer?... i got a feeling they might say something about my rear suspension and wheels ..spacers..lol.. any pics of this DIY?... hmmm a junk yard...?
Eric how much did ya get it there?

 

Remove spacers, swap stock wheels (or stock offset) wheels on, take to dealer. Done.

Replacing a wear part with a junkyard unit of the same type in unknown condition when you have an extended warranty doesn't seem worth it to me.

 

I'd agree with that. You also don't want the dealer mechanic screwing up your wheels and spacers, right?

It's a bit sad, though, as you're doing a lot more work swapping things back to stock than the actual job of swapping the hub!

 

yeah ... i seee what ya mean..
i just replaced mine....well about to...
took it apart tonite..and will be picking up my new bearing assembly tomarrow..$200 at carquest.. $80 cheaper than the zone...
didnt want to deal with the dealership and try and convince them to fix it under warranty... btw im at 97k....good run right..lol

 

Something to keep in mind before buying another extended warranty. No sense in paying for something that is too cumbersome to use!

George

 

Just wanted to say thanks to everyone for the info in this thread.

I took my 2005 xB into Toyota of Batavia, NY yesterday to check out a noise that I thought was an exhaust issue. They replaced a doughnut gasket and a bit of hardware and it was relatively inexpensive so I was happy with that.

Pick up the car and drive home and it's just as loud as when I took it in. So I call back this morning to ask WTF is up and they say I need a wheel bearing because that's the "growling" sound I'm hearing when I drive. He assured me that the exhaust was bad (of course) and that wheel bearing will cost $350, which I thought was pretty crazy. He's going to call me back with a total cost including labor.

Reading this thread, though, I might just get the part and do it myself, or have another shop do it since it looks like it's a simple swap.

Update: Total cost with parts, labor and wheel alignment = $570+tax.