Here is the quick story with my 2001 Grand Prix.
*Early spring 2008, hit a HUGE pothole (twice). Growling noise 2 weeks later.
*Late spring 2008, mechanic replaces driver side front wheel bearing (Napa part). All is quiet.
*Late spring 2009, more growling noise. It gets worse, I go back to the mechanic. I've also got popping noises when turning sharp as I back out of my garage. They replace my lower ball joints (getting some play), replace my struts and strut mounts (popping sound), and replace both bearings in the front (drivers side under warranty).
*2 days later, it seems like all is good but around 65-70mph I still hear a growling noise. They replace the driver's side bearing again. It is like a new car again.
*Jan 2010, bad growling noise. Around Feb 1 my mechanic replaces both front wheel bearings again, both under warranty.
*In Feb or March it seems like I can hear bearing noise again but my tires are so noisy I can't tell for sure. Late March I remove my 9 year old Blizzaks and put on brand new Goodyear Assurance Fuel Max tires. Tire noise is gone but I hear bearing noise around 55-65mph. If I swerve right it disappears but under certain right sweeping turns it also gets lounder. Maybe both are bad again?
Why do they keep going bad? Are the replacements just junk or is there something else with my car that can be causing them to go bad? I'm tempted to buy some ACDelco bearings and install them myself, I'm pretty sure I can handle the job. The only thing holding me back is wondering if there is another problem I don't know about that could cause my bearings to go bad so quickly. I'd hate to install new ACDelco ones just to have them go bad as well.
*Early spring 2008, hit a HUGE pothole (twice). Growling noise 2 weeks later.
*Late spring 2008, mechanic replaces driver side front wheel bearing (Napa part). All is quiet.
*Late spring 2009, more growling noise. It gets worse, I go back to the mechanic. I've also got popping noises when turning sharp as I back out of my garage. They replace my lower ball joints (getting some play), replace my struts and strut mounts (popping sound), and replace both bearings in the front (drivers side under warranty).
*2 days later, it seems like all is good but around 65-70mph I still hear a growling noise. They replace the driver's side bearing again. It is like a new car again.
*Jan 2010, bad growling noise. Around Feb 1 my mechanic replaces both front wheel bearings again, both under warranty.
*In Feb or March it seems like I can hear bearing noise again but my tires are so noisy I can't tell for sure. Late March I remove my 9 year old Blizzaks and put on brand new Goodyear Assurance Fuel Max tires. Tire noise is gone but I hear bearing noise around 55-65mph. If I swerve right it disappears but under certain right sweeping turns it also gets lounder. Maybe both are bad again?
Why do they keep going bad? Are the replacements just junk or is there something else with my car that can be causing them to go bad? I'm tempted to buy some ACDelco bearings and install them myself, I'm pretty sure I can handle the job. The only thing holding me back is wondering if there is another problem I don't know about that could cause my bearings to go bad so quickly. I'd hate to install new ACDelco ones just to have them go bad as well.