Dear Scotty,
I own a 2005 Honda Pilot that I have been told by my mechanic needs to have the front passenger side wheel bearing replaced. I have been driving on it for quite some time now, and since I'm coming up on inspection, I will absolutely need to finally replace it. It will cost close to 450 for just the bearing job if I have my mechanic replace the bearing, or, with doing some search online, I find from various discount auto suppliers who are offering deals like two loaded knuckles for 255. such as this sight from 1Aauto 2005 Honda Pilot Front Driver & Passenger Side 2 Piece Suspension Knuckle Kit with Steering Knuckle TRQ BHA34235 (1aauto.com) when AutoZone shows that same part for 595.-611. apiece Front Wheel Bearing Assembly - Find the Right Part at the Right Price | AutoZone My question is, and I never pressed out a bearing: would replacing the whole knuckle be an easier job that I can do myself instead of pressing out the bearing (I change my own breaks and rotors) and would I be sacrificing quality for price if I purchased the two-knuckle set from 1aauto over the AutoZone? I would get the dual knuckle set to do both front wheels if I don't have to worry about if the strength of steal will hold up and that I can perform the job myself. Just worried about the "Too Good to Be True" factor.
Please note, I included links to both websites offerings in this post.
Thank You Scotty for all that you do for us.
Peter
Just worried about the "Too Good to Be True" factor.
You’ll have to wait for inputs from others regarding TRQ parts. But yeah, that price is indeed suspicious..
Scotty has said good things about Dorman parts -
In my experience, I have found that OEM wheel bearings last the absolute longest (compared to discount aftermarket parts).
All the best.
For wheel bearings I would stick with leading brands such as Timkin and SKF, or buy OEM. You don't want poorly-made Chinese bearings that will fail in short order and put you in a situation like this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XkCI_fhpRqw
(The above was caused by loose lug nuts but that is what will happen if a wheel bearing fails catastrophically.)
I’m with @chucktobias on this. Some parts it’s okay to cheap out on, but wheel bearings are so vital, better get good stuff. Timkin or SKF. I doubt it comes preassembled. If it does, great! Easier to put in. If it doesn’t, spend the extra dime on getting it done right if you aren’t doing it yourself.
