Hi all, just had a call from my dad (in france) to say that one of his front wheel bearings is badly away so he's putting it into a garage to see what the damage will be. Problem is, he's not got a clue how much it would cost, and i'm a bit worried that a garage might take him for a ride when they realise his french isn't all that great.

Could anyone advise me roughly how much it should cost to replace a front wheel bearing, assuming its just that needing done? He's in Belabre, dept 36 if it makes any difference.

Thanks, all.

The bearings is from 20 euros (shit) to 60 euros (good SKF)
If no problem removing the ring nut holding the bearing, it is about 1.5 hour to replace it. 1 new ring nut is likely to be needed + 2 seals

Salute Le Viking

Thanks for the reply, Viking. They took it to the garage today and have been quoted 200-250 euros to get it replaced. Does this sound reasonable to you?

Ask which bearing being fitted. If the cheap shit, then no too expensive. SKF Yes
How many hours?

Damn, that was a fast reply! Not sure the answers, but I've fired off a text to find out (calling france on mobiles is prohibitively expensive).

They're being charged 90 euros for the bearing, but not sure which brand (the car's at the garage until tomorrow and they're away from it), the rest is labour. Seems a bit steep in my mind, but the car's undriveable and its the only garage in the area so they don't have much choice, I guess...

Sorry that's rip off

Yeah, I figured so, but my dad's french isn't good enough to argue the guy down (and he probably wouldn't try anyway) and he's stuck if he doesn't get it fixed.

As he put it, its still cheaper than him flying back to Scotland, hiring a trailer, driving the trailer to France, collecting the car etc...

Garages over here normally have a sign which staes the rate per hour - normally around 35 euros plus TVA so he can check the bill afterwards.

Maybe get your dad to supply them the bearing?