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Had a chat with an old timer at the Freightliner dealer that stuck with me
He said, 'You can't hear a bearing fail over the radio.' I was finishing a brake job with my earbuds in. How many of us are missing the little sounds that tell the big story?
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taraanderson1mo ago
That "little sounds" thing gets overblown. Most of the time a bearing going out sounds like the world is ending, radio or not. A faint tick on a quiet day is one thing, but you're not going to miss the grinding shriek of a real failure just because you're listening to a podcast.
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joel_butler1mo agoTop Commenter
Yeah, the "grinding shriek of a real failure" is the end stage. My buddy had a rear wheel bearing on his truck start as a low drone, like a bad tire hum. He drives with music loud. By the time he finally noticed it over his stereo, it wasn't a shriek yet but a loud growl. The repair bill was huge because it wrecked the hub assembly. He definitely missed the quiet early sound.
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jake_torres681mo ago
Disagree on that one. A wheel bearing can start with a low hum that's easy to miss with music on, and it gets worse slowly over weeks. Same with a worn brake pad rubbing just a little, or a belt that's starting to chirp. You catch those early sounds, you save a big repair later. The loud failures are obvious, but catching the quiet ones takes paying attention.
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