Hey guys, recently did a front wheel bearing on my gen 2 and within 2k miles it started whirring. Decided to buy a Timken from RA this time around for good measure, but I’m questioning the authenticity. There is zero stamps or labels on this part. Anyone have any ideas? I’ve seen the one thread from a few years ago where someone said that their huh which looked just like this is likely fake. Thanks guys.
Yeah it's a big problem I did find some China front hubs for my Gen 3 which I think they also make for the gen 2. They were very reasonable $39 a pop or something like that and they look very well made they are stamped but they are not a major manufacturer this is sitting in a loaded set of hubs that I keep on the ready for my near 370,000 originals that are not making a sound and we have pounded these things up and down dirt roads towed a trailer everything still tow the trailer.
Where did you buy your part from? Did you tighten everything to factory specs? Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
RA as in Rock Auto? take it up with them. They take that stuff very seriously, and they'll help you out if you got bad parts.
My Timken rear hubs had the stamps in the same place and same font as oem but the numbers were different. The welds looked the same with the same coloring. The sure test is their cost. Timkens are around $200 each.
When I bought Timkens for the front of my 2005 a few years ago, they were just a bit over $100 each at RA. Almost $200 each if purchased at a local autoparts store. That price percentage comparison is fairly typical between B&M and RA for most items. Except bulbs, lol. RA is about 1/6 of B&M prices. Maybe this will help? Beware! Fake Timken Wheel Hubs and Bearings Analysis - YouTube
Yes Rock Auto. I cannot seem to find a contact for them, only a returns form. I didnt want to go straight to returns as that would be a waste of time if this is in fact authentic / they just send me the same one again.
The first hub was a cheap one from Amazon, so the low mileage failure didnt surpise me. It was a shot in the dark as I said why not for 30 bucks. This new one is from RockAuto.
It just comes down to somebody wasting somebody else's time. You don't want to waste time hanging these parts on your car if they're no good. That looks like them wasting your time. They won't likely want to chat with somebody who hasn't even tried to install a part they sold in good faith. That looks like you wasting their time. So I'm not sure what to tell you on that score. If you're worried about the part Rock sent you and absolutely cannot risk the chance of needing a second installation, then just send it back unused and try another distributor.
Honestly the hub will take me all of 45 minutes to swap, but was moreso afraid of swapping it, it prematurely failing as it’s potentially fake, followed by no free replacement as it’s now used . Will look into their warranty.
