Got a small problem...(update12/13/07)

[shawn stonbraker 2]

Not sure what subject to put this under, but here's the problem. Lately I've had a wierd noise going around turns comming from the front driver's side tire. I figure it's my ball joints, but low and behold, it's not. With the wheel jacked up, there is play in the wheel, but not at the ball joints. It's actually the tire hub itself.:wacko: The whole wheel, rotor, and half-shaft move but not the surrounding arms or mounting surface. I'm looking for ideas for what needs to be done before I take it to the dealer. (I have to take my wife's Mountie in on Tues. for an inspection and figured I'd set up a time to have them look at it) I've tried to tighten the nut at the end of the shaft but it's tight. Thanks.



The ST is an:

'03 4x4

 

[Todd Z]

Sounds like the front hub is bad....



Todd Z

 

[shawn stonbraker 2]

That's what I was thinking. Thanks Todd.

 

[Brandon Hovater]

If the noise was the same as mine was, it's the hub.

 

[shawn stonbraker 2]

The noise is like the tire was rubbing something under there when turning to the right. Not all the way to the bump stops, just during normal driving. When I had it in the air, I checked both the drivers side and the passengers side and the driver's side was the only one with any play in it. The passenger's side was rock solid. I had it scheduled to go into the dealers on Thurs. but on the way to work today, it was alot worse. I could actually feel the vibrations in the floor board and it didn't go away like it did before. So luckily the dealer is on my way to work so I just left it there. I still am under my extended warranty and the front end is covered (everything), so we'll see. It's definately got to be the hub. Like I said, nothing else moved when I wiggled the tire, except the tire and the half shaft. (and not just alittle bit either)

 

[shawn stonbraker 2]

Well, got the news today. They say the wheel bearing is shot. Luckily my extended warranty is going to cover it and all it's going to cost me is $50 for the deductible. Hopefully they fix it correctly. (see my other post)

 

[Aaron Yarbough]

Stonemiser, why is the deductible $100 for the lower ball joint and $50 for the wheel bearings. I thought the warranty deductibles were the same across the board?

 

[shawn stonbraker 2]

Lil Red, sorry, the $100 deductible is on my wife's Mountaineer and is through Ford. The warranty for my ST is through Fidelity Warranty Company and is only $50. If I took the ST back to the dealer that sold it to me, there is no deductible, but they are in Pittsburgh and are about 1 1/2-2 hours away.

 

[shawn stonbraker 2]

Well picked up the ST today. Cost me $53 for everything they did. So far so good. Luckily the dealer worked things out with the Fidelity Warranty Company I had. I guess the idiots (warranty company) were trying to say it only took .8 hours to do the work and the books at the dealer were saying it took 1.4 hours to do it. The dealer finally got the company to cover the full labor. If not I would really have let the warranty company have it. I paid for it and over the lifetime of the policy, this is the first time I had to use it. Not that it was a hefty bill to begin with. I think the total was $450. Not even close to the price I paid for the warranty.:wacko:

 

[Aaron Yarbough]

Glad it all worked out in your favor Stonemiser. In the future my advice is to avoid the extended warranty (factory or after market) and put that same $$ somewhere to the side (preferably into a savings account), that way it's there "if" you ever need it. Chances are that you won't and it'll end up going towards the down payment of your next vehicle, or whatever else you choose to do with it Many studies have shown that extended warranties aren't worth it, especially when purchased at the time of purchasing a new vehicle. Biggest mistake most people make....

 

[Johnny O]

I bought the factory extended warranty on my jetski, it did need a fairly simple repair that was covered. The dealer I bought it from quit selling them so I took it to another Polaris dealer who flat-out refused to do the work on warranty because "they don't pay enough". It ended up not costing much more than the $100 deductible anyway but Polaris got some hate mail from me.

Then a few years later the oil pump quit working and the engine blew up a month after the warranty expired.

FWIW, I had to have a hub and bearing assembly replaced on my previous '05 Trac and it cost about $250 as I recall.