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Wheel Bearing on Ebay..do I dare?


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http://www.ebay.com/itm/05-10-Subaru-Outback-Legacy-Rear-Wheel-Hub-Bearing-Assembly-5-Lug-/110892243968?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&hash=item19d1b15c00&vxp=mtr

 

$40 shipped for a wheel bearing on Ebay. I replaced one on my moms Leggy 2.5i a year ago with an Autozone american brand. Paid over $100 tho. This is most likely a china part. Anyone ever use this??

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Thr american brand was like $120. I coule replace 3 bearings with $120 lol. I also have a press. I wonder if i could rebuild my bad one.

 

Not worth it. just buy a hub assembly.

 

 

FYI FWIW,

 

http://legacygt.com/forums/showthread.php/blinking-cc-no-cel-188044.html

 

http://legacygt.com/forums/showthread.php/front-wheel-bearing-diy-walkthrough-86994.html

305,600miles 5/2012 ej257 short block, 8/2011 installed VF52 turbo, @20.8psi, 280whp, 300ftlbs. (SOLD).  CHECK your oil, these cars use it.

 

Engine Build - Click Here

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http://www.ebay.com/itm/05-10-Subaru-Outback-Legacy-Rear-Wheel-Hub-Bearing-Assembly-5-Lug-/110892243968?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&hash=item19d1b15c00&vxp=mtr

 

$40 shipped for a wheel bearing on Ebay. I replaced one on my moms Leggy 2.5i a year ago with an Autozone american brand. Paid over $100 tho. This is most likely a china part. Anyone ever use this??

 

The Autozone "American" brand is most likely a Chinese hub as well.

 

OE hub / bearing suppliers are:

SKF

NSK

Koyo

NTN

Timken

F.A.G.

(I feel like I'm forgetting one here...)

...OE supplier meaning that the auto manufacturers buy these bearings / hubs from these suppliers when assembling the vehicle.

 

The funny thing is that all of these companies frequently buy from each other to fill out their lines, so you will see a Koyo bearing in an SKF box, etc etc. The only way to know for sure is to open it. These are all premium bearings. When you buy an "economy"-line bearing, it is almost certainly not made by one of these companies.

 

BCA used to also be a premium bearing, but over the last several years they have been filling in gaps in their coverage using cheap bearings, and their overall quality has declined sharply as a result (see: Moog).

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With the failure rate as high as it is you would think so, lol. I have an old one hanging around, I can check later and see what it says if someone doesn't know off the top of their head.

 

I highly doubt they are though. More than likely they are one of the major brands that VermontGT mentioned.

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  • 4 weeks later...
its funny you say that. My girlfriends mom had here 05 2.5i into the dealer for a new wheel bearing. Its here 3rd in 160K miles. My girls dad did the first 3. They did no have time to do it themselves so the dealer did it. Their OEM bearing lasted 5,000 miles. The china ones he used on the other 3 all have around 30,000 miles
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  • 7 months later...
The Autozone "American" brand is most likely a Chinese hub as well.

 

OE hub / bearing suppliers are:

SKF

NSK

Koyo

NTN

Timken

F.A.G.

(I feel like I'm forgetting one here...)

...OE supplier meaning that the auto manufacturers buy these bearings / hubs from these suppliers when assembling the vehicle.

 

The funny thing is that all of these companies frequently buy from each other to fill out their lines, so you will see a Koyo bearing in an SKF box, etc etc. The only way to know for sure is to open it. These are all premium bearings. When you buy an "economy"-line bearing, it is almost certainly not made by one of these companies.

 

BCA used to also be a premium bearing, but over the last several years they have been filling in gaps in their coverage using cheap bearings, and their overall quality has declined sharply as a result (see: Moog).

 

In my past, I used to work in automotive parts for a dealership ( and also as a tech) and I agree completely. I have seen this a million times. You don’t necessarily have to go to the dealership. What you need to do is locate who makes the oem part that the dealership sells ( basically in a nicer box). Letting the dirty secret out here, often automotive companies usually outsource smaller parts to other companies to be made to their special specs like: bearings, brakes, belts, sparkplugs, connectors, wires, glass, oil filters ,oil….you get the point. Anyways, the better wheel bearings are most likely made by NTN. NTN makes our oem timing belt pulleys/bearings from the factory and probably are the same folks contracted to make our wheel bearings. Which leads to my next point.

I had the same infamous cruise control does not work correctly issue after I put a cheap no-name brand bearing in that everybody else on here has had too. So, I returned it and purchased a TIMKEN front bearing assembly. TIMKEN is known for OEM quality. The bearing looked identical to factory pics even had some black paint on the end just like the Subaru one does. But surprise…. Even TIMKEN does not make this bearing……NTN does. As soon as I got it out of the TIMKEN box I looked for the manufacturers ID stamp and there it was NTN right on the back of the assembly. Like VermontGT said these companies do buy from each other. Use one from his list and you will probably be just fine. TIMKEN=NTN=OEM for the most part, and most others on that list too. And yes my cruise also works great now (imagine that?)

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