Blog Car Parts

What is a wheel hub bearing? Why do I care? A wheel hub bearing is the ONLY part connecting the body of the car to the wheels. It is apparent in the definition what makes the wheel hub a part of great importance.   IT IS THE ONLY THING CONNECTING YOUR CAR TO THE WHEELS! Suprisingly, it is often overlooked because the symptoms of a worn wheel bearing are similar to those of worn brakes, rotors, pads, etc. The result is an over diagnosis of brake / strut issues and the under diagnosis of the wheel hub bearing.

The average American spends over a quarter million dollars on his/her car(s) in a lifetime. A major chunk of this amount goes to car repair and maintenance costs. The current generation’s mentality towards car repair and maintenance is “will take care of it as it happens.” The passive mentality results in very little mechanical knowledge about the important parts which run the car. The wheel hub bearing is one of the most overlooked car parts, especially for the average car user.

The current trend in car parts is moving towards a complete wheel hub assembly design. The traditional wheel hub is a simple bearing where the body of the car attaches to the wheel of the car. The newer design which gained popularity in the current decade is a complete assembly of the wheel hub. It includes the wheel hub itself, the bearing, the lugs, and the ABS braking sensor. This is an all-in-one unit which is more efficient in performace and a breeze to replace without the need of a mechanic.

It is equally important to understand the symptoms of a worn wheel hub assembly. First and foremost is the noise coming directly from the wheel hub. If a single bearing is off, the whole wheel hub assembly needs to be replaced. And when a single bearing is off, you can hear the whining noise. If the noise is not caught, there will also be a slipping or catching in the wheel. This is a classic sign of a damaged wheel hub. Some of the newer cars have sensors to monitor the slipping and noise and will send an error code to the computer. A general rule of thumb, if your car has around 90,000 miles, it is time to check the wheel hub bearing.

As a consumer, it is imperative to know the above information for a few reasons. One, you can diagnose your own wheel hub issue without spending time and money with the mechanic. Unless you have a trusted mechanic, self diagnosis closes the door on additional, unnecessary, and fictitious repairs vouched for by the mechanic. This also gives you the ability to negotiate labor hours knowing how easy the job is. Moreover, you can evev do the job yourself now that you know how easy it is.

We have breezed through the air conditioning process via the AC compressor and onto the AC condenser. At this point in the process, the AC Orifice tube comes into play. Every air conditioning system has an orifice tube. Some have different names but their job is the same – to serve as a pressure drop device.

The orifice tube’s job is simple. It handles the highly pressurized refrigerant. Specifically, the orifice tube is responsible for reducing the refrigerant pressure. This goes hand in hand with the orifice tube’s ability to cool the refrigerant. The condenser cools the refrigerant by allowing the outside air to remove the heat. The orifice tube further cools the refrigerant down to approximately 32 degrees fahrenheit.

The drop of the temperature is the intended side effect of the drop in pressure initialized by the orifice tube. This “supercooling” of the refrigerant is needed so it can be prepared for maxumim heat absorption in the passenger department.

The pressure drop orifice tube is key because it is hard to keep the temperature at the perfect “sweet spot”. You want the temperature just high enough to prevent any moisture from freezing onto internal parts of the evaporator (more on this part later).

Auto parts warranties can be a conundrum to many consumers.  When it comes to a car parts, the warranty is just as important as price.  Of course, it would be ideal to get the cheapest autopart with the best warranty but that is simply utopic.

First key distinction all consumers must make is the difference between a PART warranty and a LABOR warranty.  99% percent of the time the party selling you the auto part will only cover the part.  Conversely, the party covering the labor is responsible for the labor performed on your car.  Since we are talking about auto parts specifically, here are some detailed pointers

1.  Check the length of the warranty – Naturally, longer the better.

2.  Check what the warranty actually covers – does it cover the car part only or shipping too? If yes, is shipping covered both ways?

3.  Check the turn around time – meaning, if the part goes wrong, is there an option to send you an immediate replacement or do you have to wait 2-3 weeks for your defective part to be fixed?

Remember any of the above 3 rules will make up for a slightly cheaper price elsewhere (read: shipping).  In this economy, times are hardly utopic which is all the more reason to make smart, well researched decisions.

So its been pouring rain here the last few days, and probably raining or snowing where you are at. Seems like everyone is getting hit currently. One of the things that I noticed about cars and drivers during the storm is how bad their braking system and probably their brake calipers are. This is a crucial auto part during wet conditions.

There are a number of components to good braking. You need to have a good brake master cylinder, a good caliper, good disc and good brake pads. All of these things contribute to having strong braking. Most people know to change the discs and pads, those are standard maintenance. Most people don’t know that unless the caliper clamps down on that pad and disc securely, the brakes aren’t that good. This is the hydraulic part of brakes. Most cars only have marginal calipers.

Have you ever pressed down on the brake pedal only to not have much happen? Eventually your are pressing down on it with 2 feet as hard as possible. This is a clear cut problem in the hydraulic system. Either the master cylinder, caliper, or you have a leak in the hoses. This seems to be most noticeable in the wet conditions when you drive more. If you are having any problem like this, get them checked asap.

Yesterday we did an article disucssing safety in cars and how MPG have affected buying. Read the article and then voice your thoughts.

How Much Does Car Safety Matter to you?

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One thing that has surprised me with the recent high fuel prices is that everyone is quick to buy tiny cars, but is anyone checking the safety records?

First off, I’m not picking on any cars in particular. The current Toyota Corrolla is a popular small car with a decent safety record. At 35mpg, that would seem okay. The cars that scare me are 1. Smart Car, 2. Mini and 3. Older cars like Hyundai and Honda that were built before air bags and tough safety legislation.

Maybe I am on my own here, but I like my slightly larger car for safety reasons. It not huge and its only a V6, but its that little bit extra. I’m not saying you need a 4×4 truck, but something bigger than a Corolla should work. Anyone agree? Disagree?

Mini Cooper for example, got a 4 star crash safety rating, same as the Corolla. That is pretty good, but I’m not sure I feel safe. I couldn’t even find a crash rating for the Smart car, that is not a good sign.