GMB Wheel Hubs?

[billr99]

Your experience is interesting Bill...

To the factors of declining road quality and greater vehicle longevity, I would add engineering priorities...as regulations add equipment (like ABS, airbags, door intrusion beams...) and consumers expect luxuries...engineers are forced to try and cut weight, particularly unsprung weight to maintain efficiency and improve the ride. I suspect that hubs, bearings, and other components have been downsized for that reason...

"They don't build 'em like they used to" is true in many ways...

After a bit more thought, I also realized that most wheel bearings these days are assemblies rather than the maintainable and separate races and bearings of older designs. Old memories came back the other day when I was re-greasing the hubs in the '95 Defender we are restoring. Although there is no actual routine schedule for these, the book says to re-grease the hubs if the truck has been wading or when the bearings need adjusted. I have found over the years with my other Rovers that every 30K or so is a decent interval. So I can get in there and for half a tub of grease ($10 worth?) and an afternoon every once in awhile, I can make my wheel bearings last forever. Even if I had to replace a bearing, they run about $15. Or with something like the XC, you replace all the bearings, with very little mess or fuss, over about 100K miles at a total price sans labour of about $5-800.

I can even remember on an early 60s Mini and a late 60s BMW having an item in the schedule to repack the CVs in the half shafts. What a PITA job that was. So we pay for the convenience of today and the OEMs must assume that the people that they pay the most attention to (i.e. the original buyer) wil not keep the car long enough to have to hassle with the results of all their weight or cost saving ideas. But then again, us poor slobs who always buy used love the challenge of tinkering, right?

Cheers and have fun all tinkerers,

Bill

[winnipegtibook]

Billr99,

Your reflections on a Friday night about us poor slobs who buy used are right on the money. I "just" replaced a rear wheel bearing on my xc90 (112 000 km), which I am the second owner, purchasing it at the ripe old age of 97000kms. Based on the sage advice from esteemed members like yourself, I see this as good ole' regular maintenance and a means of keeping a noise-free great car that didn't cost a fortune.

After a bit more thought, I also realized that most wheel bearings these days are assemblies rather than the maintainable and separate races and bearings of older designs. Old memories came back the other day when I was re-greasing the hubs in the '95 Defender we are restoring. Although there is no actual routine schedule for these, the book says to re-grease the hubs if the truck has been wading or when the bearings need adjusted. I have found over the years with my other Rovers that every 30K or so is a decent interval. So I can get in there and for half a tub of grease ($10 worth?) and an afternoon every once in awhile, I can make my wheel bearings last forever. Even if I had to replace a bearing, they run about $15. Or with something like the XC, you replace all the bearings, with very little mess or fuss, over about 100K miles at a total price sans labour of about $5-800.

I can even remember on an early 60s Mini and a late 60s BMW having an item in the schedule to repack the CVs in the half shafts. What a PITA job that was. So we pay for the convenience of today and the OEMs must assume that the people that they pay the most attention to (i.e. the original buyer) wil not keep the car long enough to have to hassle with the results of all their weight or cost saving ideas. But then again, us poor slobs who always buy used love the challenge of tinkering, right?

Cheers and have fun all tinkerers,

Bill