The driver's side front hub on my 04 Civic LX is real noisy. How long can I get away before replacing it?

And, how hard is it to replace? I'm no stranger to doing my own car work. I have the Chilton's for this car.

The stealership wants $381 to replace it.

It seems that the hubs are real weak on this car. I replaced the driver's rear at 55,000 miles. Now, at 101,000, the front is shot.

 

You'll need a hydraulic press to take the front apart and put it back together. If you don't have one, you could remove the steering knuckle / hub assembly from the car yourself and take it to a shop to have the bearing replaced.

 

Ya, I looked at the Chilton's a little deeper and it matches what you're saying. I found a shop that would press in the bearing assembly for only $20.

My main concern would be in how to remove the drive axle. I've had to remove steering knuckles from other FWD cars before and the axles can be a bear to remove.

And, how sensitive are these cars to removing steering knuckle? I will for sure mark the alignment of the knuckle to the strut, etc., but are the odds still pretty good that I'll need a front end alignment when I'm done?

 

The axle comes out easily, once you get the nut off. Loosen the nut with the wheel on the ground and a long lever arm. (Ordinarily, don't put weight on the wheel without the axle nut tight, as that can mess up the bearing, but since you're replacing the bearing anyway you don't have to worry about that during removal).

Everything should go back together in the same position so alignment won't be necessary.

 

Awesome. Thanks for the vote of confidence.

I'll tear into it within the next few days and go from there!