Happy Holidays.. Hi everyone - I'm in Orange Co. Calif. 2005 with 179k, new oem HV at 155k Front end has been noisy for about 6 mo....Took it in yesterday. Local mechanic quoted me $800 parts/labor. I just called Hoy Toy in Texas (from old post about cheap OEM parts...yikes...they wanted $238 per side). I know my HV should last a good long time but now with this repair....and it's eatin oil and pings alot....not sure if I should stick with this or move on to a newer vehicle. Thoughts? Thanks
Great question - local guy I'll need to follow up with. (Edit - Timkin per the local guy ) The Hoy Dealership would be OEM
I did the front hubs on my sons 2005 back in May. His had 260k+ miles on it. It cost me about $110 each for the Timken hubs. Looking back at the hell I went through trying to get the old hubs off, an extra $128 per side would have been ok with me. Especially if you never plan to do it again. But, now that I've done it, the next time will take 1/4 the time and effort, as I learned exactly why the hubs were so difficult to remove. It's not due to the white powdery corrosion as most posts suggest, and I previously thought also. Its more to do with the bolt hole location causing the slide hammer to not be centered properly to evenly pull the hub away from the knuckle, causing the hub to cock slightly and wedge itself. If someone came to me today and said, I'll give you $500 to install new hubs in my 2005 Prius, I'd be all over it like white on rice. If that same person had come up to me right after doing the first hub, I'd have told them to go pack sand. There's a steel ring on the inner diameter that the wheel speed sensor views through. Very important to ensure the hole in that ring is properly aligned with the sensor when reassembled.
California has it easy compared to rust belt states when it comes to replacing bearings. $800 is a reasonable price for the job. Removal of hubs is a rotten task. I have been known to farm it out to other shops if I don't have the time (or mental fortitude) to deal with stubborn hubs. Well worth it.
You had me at eatin' oil. Motor will be next. Pull the HV battery if OEM its worth maybe $2000 and sell it and then make it a parts car if you have the space. Body parts, hatch,doors,hood, combo meter, mfd , rad,ac compressor, trans, wiring, THE CAT!!! lol.... Craigs list. Part it out but keep it rolling chassis so you can tow it to junkyard they pay $400 for that here maybe more in Cali. Good luck.
Thanks for all the input guys......Spoke to my Mechanic tonight and he offered to do job for flat $700 out the door, so I'm takin her in Saturday. I know engine "could be" next as it is eating oil...but I'll cross that bridge when I get there. Hopefully I can get another 50k miles out of her. mele kalikimaka everyone
Can you quantify "eating oil" a bit? Some people might call 1L/5k miles as eating oil, other might consider that only moderate oil consumption. If it's around 1L every few thousand miles, then it can probably be managed pretty easily for another 50k miles or more. In your location you could get away with slightly higher viscosity like 5w40 or even 10w40 if you really wanted. No need to go overboard, but I've found a slightly heavier oil definitely reduces my oil consumption.
cheese and Rice... just back from new hubs installed.... pulled into our tract turning left and immediately heard same scrape scrape scrape scrape sound as the wheel rolled forward.... WTH??? sigh.... What else could be making this rubbing sound...he said brakes looked good and didn't recommend or mention any other work. Gotta call the guy back figure out what's going on.
Groan... That sort of sound during turns often implicates CV joints. Depending on the direction of the turn, it's one side or the other. Might be, if you hear it turning left it's the right side, and vice versa. Maybe someone with more brain cells can confirm which is which. Your shop would likely know. OTOH, right after bearing replacement???