John Pollman
Member
- Messages
- 1,332
- Location
- Rochester Hills, MI
Hi folks!
Hope things are going well for all of you out there. It's been a very trying week for me. On Tuesday morning I had to make a run to a supply house to get some parts to fix a problem for my neighbor. Getting on the expressway, I noticed a strange sound coming from the right front side of my truck. At first I thought it was just road/tire noise because the road I was on is brand new and just completed a few months ago. I thought it was just the grooves in the pavement. But I noticed that it didn't go away when I got off of the expressway. Later that day it dawned on me, it sounded like a bearing problem. I've got a 2003 GMC Sonoma Crew Cab 4x4. Four wheel drive is nice, but it can get expensive. The next morning I took it to the shop I used to work for when I was in high school and talked to one of the mechanics there. He took it for a drive and confirmed that it did sound like a bad bearing. He gave me a price of $268 to replace the right side. I wish I could have just said to go ahead and do it, but money is real tight for me right now. Besides the fact, I really would rather replace both sides and I surely don't have and extra $500+ right now to do the job. And that was for just the new hubs.
I checked local supply stores and found that I could buy the parts for about $400 if I did the brakes too. (they were just about due anyway) I was just about to bite the bullet and buy the parts and get busy. But I decided to check some online sources. I ended up buying two new hubs, top quality Bendix ceramic pads, and a new set of rotors for about $350! It took me about six hours of labor, but I saved myself a ton of money by doing it myself. It wasn't that difficult, just time consuming because I did it out in the driveway with a floor jack and jack stands. It would have been much easier with a lift but I did get it done.
I'm currently dealing with some pretty serious health issues that are starting to limit how much I can actually do. If I were 100%, could have probably done the job in about 3-4 hours instead of the 6 that it ended up taking me. But I really don't care about the little extra time. I saved a ton of coin and just got back from a short test drive. The noise is gone and the truck stops great!
Hope things are going well for all of you out there. It's been a very trying week for me. On Tuesday morning I had to make a run to a supply house to get some parts to fix a problem for my neighbor. Getting on the expressway, I noticed a strange sound coming from the right front side of my truck. At first I thought it was just road/tire noise because the road I was on is brand new and just completed a few months ago. I thought it was just the grooves in the pavement. But I noticed that it didn't go away when I got off of the expressway. Later that day it dawned on me, it sounded like a bearing problem. I've got a 2003 GMC Sonoma Crew Cab 4x4. Four wheel drive is nice, but it can get expensive. The next morning I took it to the shop I used to work for when I was in high school and talked to one of the mechanics there. He took it for a drive and confirmed that it did sound like a bad bearing. He gave me a price of $268 to replace the right side. I wish I could have just said to go ahead and do it, but money is real tight for me right now. Besides the fact, I really would rather replace both sides and I surely don't have and extra $500+ right now to do the job. And that was for just the new hubs.
I checked local supply stores and found that I could buy the parts for about $400 if I did the brakes too. (they were just about due anyway) I was just about to bite the bullet and buy the parts and get busy. But I decided to check some online sources. I ended up buying two new hubs, top quality Bendix ceramic pads, and a new set of rotors for about $350! It took me about six hours of labor, but I saved myself a ton of money by doing it myself. It wasn't that difficult, just time consuming because I did it out in the driveway with a floor jack and jack stands. It would have been much easier with a lift but I did get it done.
I'm currently dealing with some pretty serious health issues that are starting to limit how much I can actually do. If I were 100%, could have probably done the job in about 3-4 hours instead of the 6 that it ended up taking me. But I really don't care about the little extra time. I saved a ton of coin and just got back from a short test drive. The noise is gone and the truck stops great!
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