2008 Hyundai Santa Fe wheel bearing..

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JTK

Joined
Aug 14, 2003
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Buffalo, NY
I was getting a very light whirring, rumble sound from what sounded like my front left for a week or three. It had a definite pitch change when you swerved right further supporting my theory.

I take off for work one morning and my subtle little noise went to a full out vibrating ROAR! It was so bad on my way home I shoved ear plugs in.

Given we're in the process of selling the house, the kids have been sick one after the other, etc., I didn't have the ambition to tear into it. I dropped it off at a trusted shop right around the corner.

OUCH! $452.29. It was the left rear bearing/hub assembly. $289.90 for the part, $126 labor, $36.39 for good old NY State sales tax. He had a hard time at first discerning which rear wheel it was, but obviously found it. It's probably hard to tell being AWD and having to spin the rear axle and such.

It was REAL bad. He even said it would have failed completely real soon. He showed me the old assembly and it was like rolling a bowling ball down a gravel driveway when you tried to spin it. What's scary is, it went from a mild noise to HORRENDOUS noise/vibs in a matter of a day.

He also said it was kind of a pain in the arse to do, because the exciter ring for the ABS is mounted in the way of the bolts you need to back out to remove the hub. He mentioned something about having to "lower everything out of the way" to R/R the hub.

I guess the moral of the story is; Hope and pray yours go out w/in the warranty period! I'm at ~63Kmi and the second owner. So I was just 3K over warranty.

Joel
 
Ick. That ABS in the way is rather inexcusable engineering. It's not 1992 and they don't need to "tack it on".
 
I think i would have asked Hyundai anyway,it may not of got you much but who knows they are building their name and may have done a courtesy repair within 3K.
 
GM supposedly covers their wheel bearings under power train warranty.
 
This would have been covered by Hyundai's powertrain warranty for 100Kmi for original owners and 60Kmi for subsequent owners. I thought about pursuing this through my local dealer, but it's almost always a week or two wait for an appt and I'm actually the third owner of the vehicle. It started life as a rental, then was privately owned. I bought it in the fall of 2009 with 39Kmi on it.

For the most part it's real easy to work on. I've swapped out just about every fluid and lube on it, have done brake disassembly/cleanings and just recently replaced the front stabilizer bar end links. That literally took 10min to do.

Joel
 
Update: I emailed Hyundai consumer affairs and politely explained my situation to them. They responded right away said they'll review it after I send copies of the receipt, proof of payment and vehicle registration. Pretty cool! We'll see how it goes.

Joel
 
Originally Posted By: JTK
What's scary is, it went from a mild noise to HORRENDOUS noise/vibs in a matter of a day.


lol yep that's how they roll... At least they give a warning before completely failing like that.
 
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Yeah, I've had front bearing hubs on other vehicles go south on me and not make nearly the racket. This one was something else!

Hyundai is supposed to get back to me in 3-5 days with the verdict.
09.gif


Joel
 
Oh well. As I expected:

"Thank you for your patience while we reviewed your request for reimbursement on your 2008 Hyundai Santa Fe.

We do not reimburse for non-Hyundai labor and are unable to assist with the cost of non-genuine Hyundai parts. We are not able to provide you reimbursement for the cost of repairs for your front bearing assembly. We apologize for any disappointment this may cause.

You can find your warranty information in your Owner's Handbook and Warranty Information booklet.
"

This was after I clearly stated this was NOT a dealer fix. The dealer is typically a 1-2 week wait for a service visit. No way I could wait that long. I asked them why then they requested my personal info after knowing all this in advance?

"Thank you for contacting Hyundai Motor America. We appreciate the opportunity to provide clarification regarding the reimbursement for repairs to your 2008 Hyundai Santa Fe.

When reviewing a case for further assistance we like to have all information and documentation available before any decision is made. We are unable to provide a partial reimbursement for the costs you incurred having the left rear hub assembly replaced.
"

Joel
 
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Originally Posted By: JTK

This was after I clearly stated this was NOT a dealer fix. The dealer is typically a 1-2 week wait for a service visit. No way I could wait that long. I asked them why then they requested my personal info after knowing all this in advance?



No way. All of the dealers around here, will have an appointment for you next day, at worst, within 2 days. Does your dealer only have 3 service bays?
lol.gif
 
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