Wheels are one of the earliest inventions by man and so far, what has contributed to these modern civilizations. In our modern world, the wheel is used for various purposes with one of them being in cars where wheels are responsible for locomoting a car. A wheel does not come alone; it comes with lots of other components. Amongst and one of the common components that come along with the wheel is the wheel bearing. This is a round metallic object that contains ball bearings that help attach the wheel to the axle. The ball bearings in between the wheel bearing help the wheel rotate smoothly and seamlessly. The friction that comes when you rotate the wheel gets done away with by the wheel bearings.
Are wheel bearings covered under extended warranty?
Do you know that you are likely to spend over $1,500 to get a wheel bearing repaired or replaced? For instance, you can spend over $100 as labor when a wheel bearing needs a repair and over $1,000 to replace it. This depends on your car make, some cars have expensive spare parts which will make you spend more. Despite wheel bearings being such a small part, you can find you self stuck with a faulty wheel bearing. Can be covered with an extended warranty? Wheel bearings cannot be covered under extended warranties since they are considered as wear and tear parts. Wear and tear parts, and breakdowns due to own ignorance, accidents and natural calamities are not included in an extended warranty. You are therefore responsible for replacement costs since these parts cannot be repairs. If your car is often breaking down, then you probably spend a lot on getting the issues done. If you live under a fixed budget or have a spirit of saving and feel like spending much on a car is frustrating then you need to get an extended car warranty. An extended warranty is very important since it helps you by covering the car from unforeseen expenses that come up and getting yourself spending a lot on them. Extended warranties will make you have peace of mind and improve your car’s quality for a long time. But not the sad news is that extended warranties for cars do not cover parts that undergo wear and tear. Wheel bearing contains ball bearings which are metallic and obvious give way for wear and tear over a long time of use. Wheel bearings have a life span ranging from 85,000 miles to 100,000 miles. This is just an estimate though, the lifespan of a wheel bearing can surpass the above periods. That is only possible and can be attributed to the quality of the wheel bearing used as well as the conditions in which it is used. Off-roading and carrying of heavy goods are some of the conditions that will fasten the speed at which the wheel bearing wears out.Here are signs of the worn-out wheel bearing
After surpassing the lifespan estimated, time reaches when the wheel bearing can no longer perform as before. The smooth handling and drivability will turn awful and unpleasing and the ride will become rough and bumpy. Below are some signs that might inform you or alert you to change your wheel bearings.- Vibrating or shaking steering wheel- This is usually happening often when driving at high speeds or when making turns. The shaking gets very violent and irritating when the case is very severe. At times, the entire car may also begin to shake.
- Grinding noise- Such kind of noise can be here especially when you drive so fast and make sharp and quick turns. The grinding noise is usually a result of wear and tear of the ball bearing in between the two metallic parts and therefore lots of friction caused. When you hear such kind of noise, you need to change the wheel bearing as fast as possible.
- Unevenly worn tires-When you notice that one of your tires is worn out more than the rest, you need to check on your wheel bearings. This is one sign that alerts you about a worn-out wheel bearing.
- Lose of acceleration– This is experienced when driving and then suddenly your car loses speed by itself. This can be a result of other cases with the car’s engine but you should not ignore checking on the wheel bearing.