Dealer Says Wheel Bearing Is Bad

The 2013 Subaru Impreza 5-door sport is my wife's car.

Dealer says the front wheel bearing is bad.

I'm a retired mechanical engineer with a career in machine design and automation.

I know what a lousy ball bearing sounds like, and I do not hear a thing from any corner of the car.

The car only has 55K miles on it, so it seems REAL early for a wheel bearing to be going bad.

That corner hit a bad pot-hole - blew the strut, bent a wheel, damaged the tire, so bearing damage is possible, but as I said, I'd expect to hear something.

We're going to sell within two years because the factory-extended warranty on the CVT runs out then.

I'm inclined to ignore the dealer and wait until I hear something.

Does anyone think that's a bad idea besides the dealer?

You can test the wheel bearing yourself.

Jack up the car and put your hands at 12 and 6 and move the wheel, then do 9 and 3.

See if it has movement.

(Do you need assistance?) Please do not hesitate to PM us directly.