I have a 2001 Nissan Maxima Se, when i jack tha car up (on the driver side) my wheel is loose, obvisouly with the lug nuts screwed all tha way in, i talked to a few people, but they sed it could be my Wheel Hub or my bearings, i don't know, i just don't wanna get robed blind, wat would be a reasonable amount of money + labor to fix either tha hubs or tha bearings on tha one side???
Jack the car up and put it on a stand. Put one hand on the top and one hand on the bottom of the tire and try to move it up and down, if there is paly, odds are that youru wheel bearing is shot. As has been said, and I agree that the bearings are part of the hub assembly, a little more expensive, but actually, less hassle to replace. If there is no play, put one hand on the left side and the other on the right, and try to move it from side to side, if there is excessive play, then start looking at the tie rods, steering racks (if it has rack and pinion steering), etc.
Well I am not too sure about nissan but I know for certain on the newer chevy vehicles. the wheel bearing is in a hub assembly and the whole hub has to be replaced, probably why people have told you both, cause on newer cars it is the same thing. Best bet you could call a parts store and tell them you need to price front wheel bearing for your vehicle. that will at least give you an idea for the parts end of it. Mind you labor is about 100 to 150 an hour depending on the shop. GOOD LUCK,
I'd call a few shops and get some estimates. I never heard of a hub causing the wheel to shake, maybe you outta go to a national chain that does free estimates and have it checked out by a professional.
Front or rear? The rear has hubs that are sealed for life now (except for RWD, AWD and 4WD). They do go out. On FWD (and 4WD) the front has bearings, and these also go bad. They are also sealed for life bearings, but these are serviced by pressing the old bearings out and pressing new ones in. There is the off chance that it is a loose nut on the axle by the way. Or a bad ball joint. But I am assuming that you know that it is the wheel moving and not the whole rear member.
You may need both. The bearing on these cars are pressed into the spindle. The hub, which the tire bolts to, is pressed into the bearing assembly. I have had to replace both many times because the bearing gets so bad, that it starts to eat away at the hub. Unfortunately the only way to find out how extent the damage is, is to take it apart and look at the hub. If the hub looks good, all you need is the bearing. However, since the unit is pressed into the spindle, I would not recommend it for a do-it-yourselfer.
