Problem #1 - Failed Inspection #1 - The Wheel Bearing

[knochgoon24]

So, after fixing 155 dings in the paint on the hood, 9 small cracks and a bulls-eye in the windshield, and some rust in the door jambs and trunk, I thought my car was perfect.

Then came October '07. Car had about 201k miles. I took my car in for it's first inspection under my ownership. My family is good friends with the guy who inspects our cars. We've know him for over 20 years. They're your honest ma & pa type shop.

I got a call from the shop later in the day. He said I had a bad wheel bearing and that it needed replaced. He said that as rusted as it was, it would probably take close to $400 in labor, then another $250 in parts. I told him that I'd just fix it and take it back. My dad had always just had them check it, and then he'd fix it, so they knew they wouldn't get any more business by "fixing" anything that didn't need fixed.

So, I took my car over to my friends house. He has a nice 3 car garage with almost any tool you'd think you'll need. We spend 6 hours trying to get the axle out of the hub, to no avail. The next day, I even took it down to his dad's auto body shop to press it out. No luck. Fine, I just told his dad to see if he could find me a hub and axle. I had to head back up to school.

I found someone in WV who was parting out their car. They said they'd take $40 + shipping for the hub, axle, and ABS sensor (which we broke getting the hub out). My friend called me the same night and said that his dad had the parts ordered. I asked how much; he said he didn't know. So I just let them get the parts... big mistake.

I get a call the next weekend that my car is fixed. I go home and my car is running fine. My friend even said that he "tested it to make sure everything worked." Yep, tested as in 0-90 mph runs down his paved 1/4 mile driveway. He drag races his Camaro and said that some day, he wanted me to meet him at the 1/8 mile track to see which car was better. (Still haven't made it there.)

His dad gave me the bill.... $750 with his dealer discount. WTF My jaw dropped. That was twice as much money as I had in the bank. He was fine with me paying him back as I could. (Finally paid him back 10 months later. Oops.)

This wouldn't be the last wheel bearing to go bad...