By
teloiv, September 4, 2013
I’m the 2nd owner of a 2002 Toyota Corolla LE, and my mechanic tells me my front struts and wheel bearings are on the way out. I don’t really have the money/inclination to do this work at the moment, but I will if it can have major adverse effects long term (tear up tires, throw off steering, etc.). I don’t feel anything while driving, but the streets are pretty bad around here.
Get a second opinion, in some cases it can be fiction, or a job that can be put off for some time. I wonder what made his opinion, so thats why I recommend getting the 2nd opinion. In any case shop the job, some mechanics will do it for much less because they know you are shopping v being intimidated.
What mileage are we talking about here - over 100K miles? How are the roads there? How was the car maintained before?
Suspension - I consider a safety issue, like brakes, best not to mess with it and try to tough it out. But I question whether or not both the struts and bearings are "on the way out"? If the car handles OK, doesn't have any abnormal noises, steering is still pretty sharp - could be mechanic is scaring you into some repairs. Unless the car was driven off road - pretty hard to believe that both the bearings and struts are shot at the same time. This generation of Corolla is pretty lightweight - unless the car was seriously abused, hard to get both of those messed up.
In this case, I totally agree with Sonic, always best to get a second or third opinion. Definitely shop around if the struts and bearing are truly shot. You can always check them yourself - see if the struts are showing signs of obvious damage (leaks, excessive corrosion, damaged dust boot, etc.), same with the bearings - jack the front end of the car in the air and start prying on the tires - side to side, up and down, lifting, etc. - see if there is any slop there. You don't have to undertake the actual repair - but understanding the diagnostic process will help protect you from getting scammed in the future. There are some honest, quality mechanics out there - but there is unfortunately more dishonest, shoddy mechanics as well.
