Rear wheel bearing/hub - 2005 Vibe ABS AWD

[Frinkles]

Hello:

My girlfriend recently had her Vibe looked at for a noise that I thought was the front brakes and rotors, and it turns out that it was also one of the rear wheel bearings as well. So I was thinking if I am lucky it's a $25 bearing I can press in or if I am not it's $110 hub assembly. She got quoted for $300 special discounted price for the hub, regular $450. I found this hard to believe so I started pricing it at my own locations and the first place that can usually get anything doesn't have the part listed at all and then the second place has it for $410. But then I look on eBay and online stores and I find stuff like:

http://www.ebay.ca/itm/PAIR-NEW-REAR-WH ... 0861084919" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

http://www.1aauto.com/pontiac-vibe-rear ... -c/1057-67" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Where there are pairs for $80 - $250 range so I am suspicious.

Even more strangely is that she was quoted for 3.5 hours labour to change one wheel hub which I also find ridiculous.

I am basically looking for anyone who has gone though a wheel hub switch out on a 2005 Vibe AWD ABS and if they can give me a (1) part cost and (2) approximate time for the job. Basically confirm if this quote is in the ball park or if there is something screwy. I never dealt with ABS and AWD so I acknowledge that it could be a lot more involved and expensive a job than with regular cars but I also am at the disadvantage that I can't see it for myself (she is in a different province). Any input would be appreciated, thanks.

[ehoff121]

I have a 2005 AWD with ABS and got a subscription to the ALLDATA DIY manual.

It lists the hub price as "Rear Hub & Bearing (Contact dealer for most current part and price information.) Part #: 88970102 Price: US$380.00"

The labor is 3.5 hours for one side, 4.7 hours for both sides.

The repair guide is not very detailed for this job- it just says to remove the rear knuckle (no instructions or what bolts to remove) then remove the 4 bolts holding in the hub and bearing assembly.

If you plan to tackle this yourself, try this post: viewtopic.php?f=20&t=42021&p=489879&hil ... ub#p489879 and the PDF of the manual here: http://forums.genvibe.com/files/importe ... 040001.pdf

[sideshowalan]

She was given OEM part prices, aftermarket stuff is going to be way cheaper.
I've used ebay wheel bearing/hub assemblies with good results before. Most of the sellers even include a lifetime warranty!
It's also not necessary to replace them in pairs, they're not dependent on each other and the labor has to be duplicated on each side.

[Frinkles]

Thank you for the info ehoff121. I had a look at the instructions for the job and now I can see where the time is coming from; the whole assembly needs to come off the control arms to get access to the 4 bolts for the hub. The last one I did on a 2005 SX 2.0 I just needed to take off the wheel and drum, unscrew the bolt and the hub came off the spindle no problem. I am much more comfortable with the time estimate now and she got a better part price for $200 so she well have it fixed for $395 which now I feel is a good price.

Thanks sideshowalan but now that we're getting the part for $200 it isn't as big an issue; I rather have the mechanic get the part for $200 than have me guess and risk getting the wrong one and having to wait for shipment and pay duty etc. to save a $100 at this point.

Thanks for the help everyone, much appreciated.