Hi All,

Our 2009 Mazda 5 slid off the road in ice this winter and was pulled out by a tow truck. Since then, we have had a very loud hum coming from the rear of the vehicle which gets louder at higher speeds. I assume one of the wheel bearings is bad.

A few items I've read indicate the bearing is not serviceable by itself, but the whole hub assembly should be replaced.

I called the local Mazda dealer and it took him a while to give me a price. They quoted be me $355 to replace the bearing. I asked if they could replace only the bearing and he said, "Well, I looked it up with another service writer and he found the part on alldata, so I'm pretty sure you can replace it" - Didn't sound too confident

2 questions:
- Is the bearing itself replaceable?
- Is this something a novice could handle? I've done brakes and oil changes, but nothing else major