I took my 2013 Honda CR-V (less than 50,000 miles) to a local mechanic for an unrelated issue, and they called me to tell me that there was a loud noise and asked if I would authorize them to diagnose it ($80 fee). The did not update me about the reason I brought my car at this point. A few hours later, the mechanic called me to tell me that both rear wheel bearings need to be replaced at a discounted cost of $850 ($425 each). How can I tell if this is really necessary?

 

welcome to the forum. take it to the honda dealer and ask them to check if the rear wheel bearings need work, have you checked your tires to see if there is unusual war. do you hear a kind of wa wa wa wa noise from the back. kind of sounds like the local mechanic wants to make some money from you, or think your an easy buck. need to know if you hear any type of noise from your cr-v. unless you have driven your car into the lake to launch a boat or it has been in a deep flood the bearings should not be going bad this soon.

 

No unusual tire wear, no water related issues (launch boat or flood) and we bought it new, so no other drivers. I have noticed a sound in the front, similar to the sound you hear just before the transmission shifts to the next higher gear, but definitely comes from the front.

 

Also, I just read that the powertrain warranty from Honda includes wheel bearings, but I am 9 months out of the 5 years, but have fewer than 60,000 miles. What is the likelihood that Honda will work with me on this repair...assuming it is necessary?

 

normal warranty is 3 years, 36k miles. extended warranty is 100k, 10yr which ever occurs first. 5 year rust warranty. if you paid for the 100k warranty, american honda may work with you. are you positive you have bad bearings, have you had honda check it out also?

 

Was there ever a loud noise (as the mechanic said) while you drove it?

 

Took the car to Honda, and they replaced the wheel bearings on one side under the extended warranty that we bought when we bought the car. My cost was $100.

Honda said that the other side was normal.

 

I only noticed something in the front that sounded like the transmission needed to shift to the next higher gear, Honda replaced the wheel bearings on one side under the extended warranty.