My 01 LS430 has 122,000 miles. I started hearing my front passenger side wheel bearing making noise a few months ago. It is only noticeably when exceeding 60+ mph on highway. I have to listen for it so it is in the early stages. I had it checked out by my independent shop and he couldn't detect anything on the lift or city driving and the wheel was tight. How long do I have before I need to address replacement of the hub? I drive about 5,000 miles a year all city drving. Again, it is only heard at highway speeds if you listen for it. I know it's the bearing because the noise goies away when I turn my wheel in the direction of the suspect bearing. All tires are relatively new with 6,000 miles on them. My main concern is safety issues. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.

 

It isn't urgent, especially if you drive mostly city driving speeds. The noise will get louder. The wheel hub will not fall off or seize. The right front wheel hub gets the most abuse since the right (passenger) side of city roads are typically where the pot holes and road imperfections exist.

 

Thanks for your quick response. I don't feel like laying out the money for an item that is not all that urgent.

 

If the noise is actually from the wheel bearing, it's failing and the thing is going to get worst not better. Jack up the wheel and check for lateral play and rotational roughness. A failed bearing is not something you can keep on ignoring cause it will bite you at inopportune time.

 

Thanks for the advice. As mentioned above, I have already had the car recently on a lift and there is no noise or lateral movement noticeable. I only get the noise at higher speeds and it is probably at an early stage. Of course I will be aware of it and once it becomes noticeable at lower speeds I'll have to replace it. Thanks.

 

The front wheel bearing is sold as a hub assembly so there's no real reason to try and catch it early to save the hub from damage - you have to replace it no matter what. I just had my front left done a few months ago. It was $386 plus tax for an OE bearing/hub/abs sensor installed. Might be more at the dealer but I manage an indie shop so I get decent deals haha. My noise was most noticeable at about 40 mph on really smooth roads but the new bearing/hub definitely fixed it.

 

You are one of the lucky ones! The bearing hub is around $300 for the OEM part alone. I was quoted $185 labor from an independent. I'll try a local Lexus dealer that I've had work done with before who is aggressive with pricing. One Lexus dealer wanted $1,000 to replace my radiator (which is crazy!) with a Denso and this Lexus dealer did it for $500. I know aftermarket are cheaper but I've had the best of luck for the last 6 years with OEM parts. There's a guy on this forum who has replaced his alternator 3 times in a few months with an aftermarket crappy chinese alternator..

 

You can just buy the bearing and have it pressed in for next to nothing. Or, a no name assembly (Dura) for $75. Or a name brand bearing assembly (Timken for example) for about $200. No need to buy what is essentially just a bearing from Lexus IMO.

 

I wouldn't get a no name cheap assembly because the ABS sensor is part of it. I've also had really bad luck with cheap aftermarket bearings. The original equipment manufacturer of the assembly was Koyo. If you can find one of those, you will save money and have the same thing as the dealer (just comes in a Koyo box and costs less). The Koyo part number is 3DACF027FAS. They are identical left and right, so that would work for either front bearing.

 

I got a Detroit axle one off of Amazon and it has been fine. It is easy to replace.

 

Timken is a quality bearing maker if you have concerns. ~$200 Or you could press the bearing out and bring it to a local bearing distributor and get the best bearing on the market in that size..would would save plenty