erx8s

Got diagnosed with a faulty front left hand side wheel bearing , at first i thought it was tyre noise then gear noise then clutch bearing noise , then engine mount noise , but NO its a faulty wheel bearing .

Mazda has quoted me $ 455.00 for the hub and the bearing as a one unit cost ,COMES AS A SINGLE UNIT one cannot be replaced without the other .

Wandering if anyone here in Australia has expirienced the same problem as me , i have found other threads mostly in US with the wheel bearing problem , I HOPE THIS IS NOT ANOTHER COMMOM TYPE PROBLEM for other Australian RX8S owners .

Does anyone know if there is an aftermarket part that i can get instead of the stock Mazda part i dont feel like spending $455.00 .

Thanks
Ben

takahashi

This is the first reported case in this forum at least.

Thanks for sharing. Why is it not a warranty issue?

erx8s

My ride is out of warranty its a july 03 model with 65,000km on the clock .

The wheel bearings may have been faulty for a while as the noise seems to have increased with time .

The good news is i should be able to get the parts from a Mazda dealer in US for $150 US + SHIPPING instead of the $ 455.00 Mazda Australia quoted me

Thanks
Ben

RXP33D

I kerbed my rim and my wheel bearing was f@rked. They didn't know it was bearing at first, so they changed the discs, all 4 brake pads and THEN the bearing.

All under warranty. But they don't know I kerbed my rim. LOL

erx8s

My rims are as new never kerbed them so i cannot explain why the bearings went , i believe that some of the noises could be attributed to wheel bearings .

Thanks
Ben

auzoom

Same as RXP33D, hit a curb hard enough to crack a rim and messed up left front Hub as well. Is the price including labour? if not and you are mechanically minded then I would do teh replacement yourself. Its very simple.

erx8s

Wheel bearing cost is $ 455.00 not including the labour but i have decided to get the parts from A US Mazda dealer much cheaper than the Australian dealers.






May install it myself with a friend who is a weekend mechanic .

Thanks
Ben

enforcer

Holy crap Ben... I have some loud(ish) wheel/road/gear noise as well.

I'm getting my 30,000 (6 mths oil drop/ filter) done on Wednesday ($140) and will get them to check it out.

Just my luck they'll say the same thing to me and I'm just out of warranty!

erx8s

Trevor

Dont worry be happy

I gave Mazda servicing and spare parts a flick on most items , way too expensive i have a very good reliable rotary guy who services my ride every 5000km , and source all parts from overseas .

My car is out of warranty , but even prior to the warranty running out i had my own Mechanic .

Mazmart a US vendor on this forum just quoted me $125 US for the hub and wheel bearing instead of the price here of $ 455.00 .

Revolver

Ben,

News to me about wheel bearings being a regular thing too. I'd say most would be trauma induced. Maybe something was done to your car before you got it??

Otherwise firmly agree that you're nearly always better off sourcing parts from the US or Japan.

DrewMan

Sheesh,


Ive never heard of replacing the wheel bearings so soon in the car!.

Im thinking, they must haev been damaged or warped somehow and due to continuous use, they have just gotten more shot!

Mazda Australia does price gouge so outsourcing them and getting a mechanic to fit it would be advisable. In the end Mazda is there for the profits while we just want to be able to drive our cars in peace without being asked to shell out a fortune just because its a "nice car".


Cheers,
DrewMan

erx8s

Got my car new , never kerbed it , if you do a search , wheel bearing problems mostly in the US .

Ben

Revolver

Hmm, could it be that the wheel bearings used in US cars differ in some way?

Can't think why but it seems odd that it is reported over there but VERY rare here.

erx8s

As you know Mazda keep quiet /sweeping under the carpet a lot of the problems of the RX8 from the generall public , if you talk to the average joe blow whos not a member of this forum he usually knows Nada about his car , i recall lots of brake noises on earlier threads , some being diagnosed some not , id venture to say some of these may have been attributed to the HUB -BEARING ASSEMBLY , and never diagnosed correctly .

Thanks
Ben

erx8s

Prime example of misdiagnosis , (changed his Discs and brake pads when the noise was still evident they finally realised it was the bearings luckily for RXP33D he was under Warranty .

Hate to think of the poor smucks who were wrongly diagnosed and had to pay out of their own pockets ?

Thanks
Ben

erx8s

Recieved my wheel hub unit from Jason online mazda parts USA total cost including exchange rate and shipping cost $250.00 oz $$$.

Had a ten day wait but i saved $200.00 on the cost of the part

Fitted the unit car once again runs as new

takahashi

Interesting... glad it work out well.

Could you fully discribe what sort of noise you are having?

enforcer

The way I read it one faithful at Roebuck had Mazda 3 wheel bearings at $900...

http://townhall-talk.edmunds.com/direct/view/.ef35b7d

alternatively RX-7 bearings at another site have them at US$65 - $82

http://www2.partstrain.com/products/...RX7-T-002.html

...considering theres BUGGER ALL out there on google for RX-8 wheel bearings I think you did very, very well!

Now we have a back up plan if it happens again...good on you Ben!!

erx8s

The initial noise worsened over time it felt like a grinding noise getting louder and vibrating trough the cabin as i accelerated , and quitened down as i decelerated , there was a slight hesitation as the left wheel was not spinning around freely as if the brakes were slightly rubbing holding it back .

This noise occured for a while but at first i dismissed it as tyre noise , but as it got worse i realised it wasnt the tyres .i slowly dismissed possible gear noise then clutch bearing noise , then engine mount noise , but it did turn out to be a faulty wheel bearing

When we got the old wheel hub of and tried to spin it around by hand there was a lot of resistance it wasnt spinning freely , being a totaly sealed unit we could not examine the bearings to see what went wrong .

Thanks
Ben

Cromax

Sounds like any normal worn out wheel bearing ...

... perhaps the bearing itself wasn't packed properly and that's why you had to replace it ... or maybe you've knocked your car around a bit? That is very soon for a wheel bearing ... even for a Mazda!!!

takahashi

Ben sounds like the Mazda service people never have their hand spin the wheel on the service during your warranty peroid.

I think write to Mazda to demand an answer. It is a service fault when the left wheel is harder to spin on the hoist than the right!

Even a non mechanical mind like mine will know that is not quite right!

Cromax

Yeah, I agree with Taka, go after Mazda ... do it now!

enforcer

Taka I don't think wheel spins will wash with Mazda. Wheel bearings are a wearable item, and there is no way ANY car manufacturer will honour warranty, they can come back and say it is how you drive, you've driven over pot holes etc.

Ben, I'm sorry to hear about your problem, every RX8 owner deserves the best in follow up. I have hearing of bearings being covered with a 7yr/100K warranty, however in those cases it was in writing.

This will come down to your warranty and if you've got the same documents as me, theres no mention of extended warranty on wheel bearings.

I have been proven wrong before, and by all means write to Mazda...nothing ventured nothing gained I say...I'd be inclined to talk to your local dealership and go straight to the manager.

Mazda have exceeded my expectations with the recalls and some minor faults and they do try their best to resolve issues. Yours is a rare case and I wish you luck.....

Revolver

Never knocked around according to Ben.

I'd pursue it too.

Keep us posted please.