Wheel bearings, CV joints & driveshafts in Millbrook. The hum and the click, sorted.
DVSA Approved MOT Test Station · Example demo station
A drone that rises with road speed and changes when you steer is a wheel bearing. A click when you turn on full lock is a CV joint. Grease flung around the inside of a wheel is a split CV boot that will become a joint if it's left. All three are found on the ramp and quoted per side.
Symptoms
- Hum, drone or rumble that rises with speed, not engine revs, and gets louder or quieter when you steer gently one way — a wheel bearing. It's an MOT fail once there's play and it can seize if ignored.
- Clicking or knocking when turning, especially on full lock and pulling away — an outer CV joint.
- Vibration or a shudder under acceleration that fades on the overrun — an inner CV joint or a worn driveshaft.
- Dark grease sprayed inside the wheel arch or on the inside of the wheel — a split CV boot. Caught early it's a boot and fresh grease; left, the joint dries out and fails.
- ABS or traction light with a bearing noise — on many cars the ABS sensor ring is part of the bearing.
What we do
- Road test to confirm which corner and which part, then a ramp check with the wheel loaded and unloaded for play and roughness.
- Wheel bearings pressed in and out with the correct tooling and torqued to spec. Hub-and-bearing units replaced complete where the car uses them.
- CV boots replaced with fresh grease where the joint is still good; complete joints or driveshafts where it isn't.
- Geometry checked afterwards on anything that disturbs it.
Price: quoted per side after inspection, with parts and labour itemised and the worn part photographed. Bearings, boots and joints are usually same-day.
Wheel bearings & CV joints questions
Can I drive with a noisy wheel bearing?
For a short while, but a bearing that is humming is on its way out, and one that collapses can lock a wheel or let it go loose. It is also an MOT fail. Book it in rather than wait for it to get louder.
Is a split CV boot an MOT fail?
Yes, if the tester can see it is split. Fixed early it's a boot kit and grease; left, the joint fails and the job is bigger.
Do you replace bearings in pairs?
No, only the worn one. Bearings wear individually, and we'll tell you honestly if the other side is fine.
How long does it take?
Most bearings, boots and joints are done the same day. We'll confirm when you book.