Suspicious: shop replaced hub assembly, now says bearings need replacing

[jr1under]

This concerns my F150 but I'm posting here because I'm familiar with many of the responders in this forum and it's a generic question.

Last April, the local dealership performed a brake service - machined the rotors, replaced pads, etc. They also said the left front hub assembly was bad and replaced it for $450. Now, 3000 miles later, they are saying the left front wheel bearings need to be replaced for $750. Does this sound legit? I thought the bearings were an integral part of the hub assembly.

 

[BigOleFordFan]

NO this is NOT legit...it's time to find a new, real dealership that won't try this crap every time you go there to spend your cash to maintain your vehicle, and yea, I know those are few & far between nowadays !

Hubs & bearings are integral parts of each other & the total wheel system, and when one or the other goes bad, both should be replaced at the same time...as witnessed by this typical stealership rip-off tactic....and all of it should have been noted during the brake job, cause if the bearings were good then, another 3K miles (of normal driving) would not cause them to oh so suddenly need replacing.

 

[Hamfisted]

If it's your FX4 you're talking about, then yes the bearings are integral to the hub and normally the whole assembly is changed. $200 in parts and an hour of your time. Just note whether you have 6 lug wheels or the HD 7 lug wheels and order the right assembly. But yeah, find a new shop.

2005 FX4 F-150 Front Hub Assembly at Rock Auto












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[jr1under]

Preaching to the choir here but finding honest, competent service is harder than replacing ball joints for the first time. Actually, competence isn't that rare but honesty is in short supply. It's majorly frustrating because I can do a lot of work myself but will always have to depend on a shop for the issues out of my comfort zone.

@BigOleFordFan and @Hamfisted, thanks for the replies. That really helped.

 

[blairkent]

You're absolutely right to be suspicious. On most modern trucks, including your F-150, the wheel bearings kit are integrated into the hub assembly and are not serviceable separately. When the dealership replaced the hub assembly 3,000 miles ago, that should have included brand-new bearings as part of the unit.

 

[jr1under]

Update: 16+ months since this incident, the truck hasn't shown the slightest indication of a problem with the hub/bearings. Reflecting upon the details, that was a really clumsy scam attempt!

 

[Billme]

Find a mechanic out in the country that has his own shop at his house.. In my case, I found one, and he is a godsend, that got fed up with that kind of stuff..
You may have to shop around but they are out there…