Update:
I replaced both of the rear hubs last weekend. We went with the Timken units for non-ABS model, which had the tapered bearings. The hub bearing had "NTN" printed on it, and was Made in USA. My friend checked the box but was supposedly unable to locate the country of origin.
The L/R hub was still okay, it spun okay and seemed fine. However, due to the vehicle's mileage (149K), we chose to proceed with replacing it.
The R/R hub showed a lot of resistance when you tried to spin it by hand, and it made a very loud groan/roar. Clearly, the R/R hub was failing - and perhaps even ready to seize? The owner said he had been driving the car with the noise for the last 12 to 18 mo, so I guess a noisy hub can sometimes last for 10k miles or more.
After the repairs, all of the noise is gone.
Originally Posted By: stephen9666
Also, what's the price difference between the brands? Haven't you claimed in the past that OE parts can often be had for a similar price as aftermarket?
Sorry, I forgot about your post. The Timken unit for the Nissan was $72, while the SKF unit was $98. OE was $140. Yes, usually you can OE for equal or less than the premium aftermarket unit for Toyota and Honda, apparently this was not the case with Nissan. For instance, a Timken rear hub for my 2011 Prius is $248 from Rockauto, while the OE part from Toyotapartscheap is $220.
I replaced both of the rear hubs last weekend. We went with the Timken units for non-ABS model, which had the tapered bearings. The hub bearing had "NTN" printed on it, and was Made in USA. My friend checked the box but was supposedly unable to locate the country of origin.
The L/R hub was still okay, it spun okay and seemed fine. However, due to the vehicle's mileage (149K), we chose to proceed with replacing it.
The R/R hub showed a lot of resistance when you tried to spin it by hand, and it made a very loud groan/roar. Clearly, the R/R hub was failing - and perhaps even ready to seize? The owner said he had been driving the car with the noise for the last 12 to 18 mo, so I guess a noisy hub can sometimes last for 10k miles or more.
After the repairs, all of the noise is gone.
Originally Posted By: stephen9666
Also, what's the price difference between the brands? Haven't you claimed in the past that OE parts can often be had for a similar price as aftermarket?
Sorry, I forgot about your post. The Timken unit for the Nissan was $72, while the SKF unit was $98. OE was $140. Yes, usually you can OE for equal or less than the premium aftermarket unit for Toyota and Honda, apparently this was not the case with Nissan. For instance, a Timken rear hub for my 2011 Prius is $248 from Rockauto, while the OE part from Toyotapartscheap is $220.
