Changing wheel bearings yourself can save you money.
While the bearings are affordable, when taking your vehicle into a mechanic, you have to also pay labor, which is usually the most expensive part of your final bill.
Wheel bearings are part of the vehicle's suspension system and can be found in the hub of the wheel.
These bearings are responsible for helping the wheel turn effectively; this means you want to choose a high quality bearing that will provide you with reliability and years of use and enjoyment.
Bear in mind that every vehicle is different.
The best option is to go through your vehicle's manual to find out exactly how to change the wheel bearing.
The process is pretty similar in most vehicles and the basis of the steps are pretty much the same.
The first step to changing the wheel bearings on your vehicle is to park on a flat surface.
As with changing a tire, you will need to jack the vehicle up; this can be disastrous if it is located on a hill or inclined drive.
With the vehicle on a flat surface, secure the wheels you will not be working on at that point before lifting the side of the vehicle using the vehicle's jack.
Follow your vehicle's manual when it comes to lifting the vehicle using the jack provided.
Each vehicle should provide information to ensure you don't cause any damage to the vehicle during this process.
With the car lifted, you can loosen the nuts and remove the wheel.
With the wheel removed, you will need to remove the brake caliper, this can be done using a ratchet and socket.
Be careful during this process to not cause any damage to the caliper, hold it in place as you remove it, not allowing it to hang in any way.
After this process, there is usually a dust cover in place that covers the rotor.
The dust cover will need to be removed.
Ensure you keep all the bolts and nuts safe and in a secure place, so that you can use them to put everything back together later.
Another good idea is to keep everything in order as you remove them, helping you put everything back together in an orderly fashion once you have replaced the wheel bearings.
With the dust cover removed you will want to remove the rotor before unscrewing the hub bolts and removing the hub.
Take the hub to a table where you can work with ease.
You will need to disassemble it.
If you don't have vehicle knowledge, it's a good idea to have someone with you that does have some mechanical know-how to help you through this process.
Make note of the disassembly, so you can put it back together that little bit easier.
With the hub assembly disassembled, it's a good idea to take advantage and give the knuckle a good clean.
This area often lands up full of grease and grime, give it a good wipe clean and then install the new wheel bearings.
With the wheel bearings replace, you need to start putting everything back together, this is why you should have kept everything in order as you removed it, working backwards from where you started.
Reassemble the hub assembly, replace the hub, and replace the rotor and dust cover.
You will then want to replace the brake caliper with care before putting the wheel back on and tightening the bolts.
From here you can lower the vehicle, tighten the wheel bolts once more and then move onto the next wheel.