filmteknik

As reported here late last summer my 2008 RX 350 AWD was experiencing a road-speed dependent vibration or hum. Folks here said most likely it was a wheel bearing going bad. I looked at the DIY instructions, decided it was beyond me and proceeded to ignore it.

In the meantime a few months back I suffered another, unrelated Respect-for-Lexus-Waning calamity when the oil cooler tubing failed, requiring a tow.

Anyway, I FINALLY did something about the wheel bearing. (I never did determine for myself which one was going bad and I did try.) I went to a local indie mechanic which determined it to be the right rear.

My question is about what part was replaced. I was under the impression from the DIY info that it's just a bearing and that it gets pressed out of whatever it goes in and the new one pressed in. Relatively inexpensive. In my case what they replaced was an entire hub. He showed me the old part. On one end is whatever piece would be behind the brake disk...it has the 5 studs sticking out. The other end has a splined opening to accept the half shaft. Price to me $370. And that's with some knocked off because their supplier charged them less owing to being late bring it over. He said it was a Moog part.

So was it necessary to replace the whole thing or was that just a way to avoid a more complicated repair? My RX was in for two days because being an indie, the part wasn't going to be there until the next day and then it was late. Once they had it, it was a 20 minute repair. I asked about pressing in a new bearing and he simply said no, not on this kind of hub.

Total price in Suburban Chicago was $665. How much would Lexus have charged? How much for Toyota (much closer for me)?

RX330inFL

I believe the days of pressing in wheel bearings for new vehicles has long gone. For the RX you pretty much need to purchase the entire hub assembly with the bearing already pressed in from the factory. As for the price, you were way over charged for that part. A quality part made by Timken, well known for wheel bearings, could have been had for half that amount (about $180) from your local AutoZone. You could have gotten an OEM from Sewell shipped to you for that $360. A Duralast, also from AutoZone, would be even cheaper and there are some knock-offs on eBay for much less still.

http://www.autozone.com/autozone/par...er=180499_0_0_

http://lexus.sewellparts.com/oem-cat...X350-2008.html

I did some extra digging around and found your Moog hub assembly at Advance Auto Parts for $165. So, looks like they only doubled the price on you.

http://shop.advanceautoparts.com/web...bly#fragment-2

filmteknik

Yeah, I've bought filters and brake stuff from Sewell and OEM would be the way to go all things being equal but I would not want to wait that long.

The mechanic told a funny story about a guy who didn't want to pay for the Moog part so got one from Autozone or someplace like that. For whatever reason, they agreed to just supply the labor. 3,000 miles later it failed. The store replaced it under warranty of course but he had to pay mechanic's labor twice.

So if full hub replacement is in fact the norm are there instructions around here for that? I guess I should at least look to see if it would be feasible for DIY.

I do what I can but try not to get beyond my abilities. I do oil changes, basic brake work, replaced a caliper when I had a Prelude, also a master cylinder. A starter on my Grand Cherokee. Rear shocks. I was gonna replace a CV boot on the GC but though I had the part, the large socket, and full instructions, changed my mind before getting into it. On the RX, just brakes and oil changes. Let a pro do the ruptured oil cooler line.

Steve

RX330inFL

Those mechanic stories have been around for decades and are nothing new in the business. In short, they are telling you to trust them. Not saying they are dishonest, just to take what they have to say with some skepticism. Many shops will not accept business where the customer walks in with parts. Those which will do have to warn you that there may be problems with the parts you brought -- may be defective, may be the wrong ones, work performed comes with no warranty, etc. In this case, it would not have hurt to have gotten several quotes for this work.

I understand they need to make a profit, but to charge you $360 for a part you could have obtained yourself down the street at Advanced Auto for much less and for the same exact part is a disservice. Further checking since my previous post indicated I could get that Moog hub assembly for around $120 to include tax. Have no reason to believe it is not the same as the one you had installed. Would have to assume their discount is as good as mine with the distributors.

The Timken hub actually comes with a 3 year warranty, so perhaps even better than going for the OEM which I believe only come with a 1 year warranty. Moog might have some form of lifetime warranty as some of their parts do have it. Did it say anything on your receipt?

BTW, you can purchase front wheel bearings for the AWD RX to be pressed in, however, for the rear you need to get the whole hub assembly.

As for DIY... you might be best served to check your local library to see if they have a Chilton's manual for your RX to reference. These are the huge hardbound editions. Not sure there is a workup here at CL and there are a number of things you need to deal with such as the ABS sensor. Not extremely hard, just a number of things you want to make sure are done and done right.

For now go to Binny's, grab a bottle for the evening and call it a day.

filmteknik

Maybe that's what it was, front vs. rear.

What is the normal markup on parts for a small indie shop? Maybe they just figured...guy has a Lexus...mark it up 100%. I wonder what it would have been at a chain place like Pep Boys.

Unless something new has recently come out I do not believe there is a Chilton's or Haynes for the Lexus RX350. Surprising since there seem to be so many of them out there. It is possible to buy access to the official service manuals online.

RX330inFL

I think this is the one you might be looking to find:



Would recommend anyone looking to purchase be able to return or at least look at in advance before purchasing to make sure it is the right one. Sometimes the image does not always match the book.

RX330inFL

Found a used copy of this same manual over at Alibris...

http://www.alibris.com/search/books/isbn/9781428322172

Would cost you more to ship it than the book itself.

thomas1

AT Rock Auto.com the Moog bearing/hub is a lot cheaper, The mechanic took you on the price of the part.



MOOG/NATIONAL Part # 512284
REAR; AWD (Only 4 Remaining)

Part Image

$158.79

RX330inFL

Actually, the OP has an AWD so this is the wrong part. They need the 512284. The price on the AWD part is much cheaper still.

thomas1

Yes, I edited my post, but you beat me.

filmteknik

I ordered the book. Thanks for the link! We'll see if it covers this and whether it was something I felt could have done. When it comes to things where, if done wrong, a wheel falls off, I'll go with the pros unless it's pretty cut and dried.

What do you folks think of the labor charge: $213. Even though it was less than 20 minutes to put this in (they told me that) and maybe one must add a similar amount to take it apart thus well under one hour for the whole thing, I'm less apt to quibble here because I know the business has to make money to stay in business.

BTW, is there any way to see this part? Not that I don't believe it was replaced---the problem is gone---but as Reagan used to say, "trust but verify." When I made the appointment I explained the symptoms and said that I'd heard this is likely a wheel bearing and RX's are known for that. They reminded me that that it could also be simply a wheel out of balance.

RX330inFL

Much more for shipping than the cost of the book, right? Very heavy. Let us know what you think of this manual. I have access to one for my 2004.

Labor is charged at the book rate. Regardless of how much time it actually takes to perform the work, whatever the book states how long the job should take is what the shops will charge. Am guessing the book says something on the line of 2-3 hours for that work. So, based on what your shop charges per hour that is probably a bit on the high side but perhaps not out of line for your area of the country. Here in FL at the shop I use that would be excessive.

As for looking at the parts, as a customer you can always ask to see the parts which come of your vehicle. But, you should ask up front before any work is performed. Many times these parts have a core charge and so the used parts are boxed up and on the next truck back to the depot or are tossed. The new part, behind the rotor, should be nice and shiny compared to the other side. You might be able to see it in there.

RX330inFL

Been a couple of weeks now. Newbie asking about a possible bad bearing reminded me. Did the book come in yet? Thoughts?