Bill V
Well-Known Member
My wife's Explorer has recently had a slight vibration in the front right--like it's continuously driving over a rough road. We took it in to the shop, and they at first diagnosed it to be a wheel bearing. They got the part, put it in--but the noise didn't change.
They then thought it was something with the tire itself--possibly a cracked belt. They rotated the four tires--and the noise was still in the front right. They switched to yet another position, with the same result.
Then, they got the spare involved--which has never been used. They put that on the front right, and the noise went away--at least from the front right. But now, there was a lesser-but-similar noise in the front right.
The shop's conclusion? That the tires have a manufacturing defect, and that we have cracked belts in all four tires.
Does this sound like it's even remotely a possibility to any of you who work with cars and wheels more regularly? And if so, how serious of a problem is it? We're supposed to take a 600 mile trip this weekend--should we be looking for new tires first?
Thanks!
--Bill
p.s. They did put in the old wheel bearing after they determined that wasn't the issue, and didn't charge us a dime. And they don't sell tires, so it's not like they're trying to convince us to buy something from them that we don't really need.
They then thought it was something with the tire itself--possibly a cracked belt. They rotated the four tires--and the noise was still in the front right. They switched to yet another position, with the same result.
Then, they got the spare involved--which has never been used. They put that on the front right, and the noise went away--at least from the front right. But now, there was a lesser-but-similar noise in the front right.
The shop's conclusion? That the tires have a manufacturing defect, and that we have cracked belts in all four tires.
Does this sound like it's even remotely a possibility to any of you who work with cars and wheels more regularly? And if so, how serious of a problem is it? We're supposed to take a 600 mile trip this weekend--should we be looking for new tires first?
Thanks!
--Bill
p.s. They did put in the old wheel bearing after they determined that wasn't the issue, and didn't charge us a dime. And they don't sell tires, so it's not like they're trying to convince us to buy something from them that we don't really need.
