The story begins a few months ago when I discovered that the hub bearing on the rear passenger wheel of my Laetabo was malfunctioning.
A faulty hub bearing typically manifests as a humming noise, similar to tire noise, but it doesn’t affect driving performance.
So, I kept telling myself I needed to get it fixed, but months passed without action...
In a rush, I took a photo with my phone.
One day, on my way home from work, the noise from the hub bearing intensified.
At first, I thought, “I really need to get this fixed,” but as I drove on, I thought, “Hmm?? Something seems off.”
Then, I convinced myself, “It should be fine,” and continued to drive a little longer... a little longer...
"Oh no! Something is definitely wrong," I said, pulling over to the side of the road to check.
When I looked, I was shocked to see the tire was flat, and I had been driving on it almost to the point of it bursting.
I still shudder when I think about it. I was lucky.
The place where I parked was just before the Dong Suwon IC on the highway.
With a mindset of “It should be fine,” I got on the highway... I almost had a serious accident.
I had a careless attitude toward maintenance...
I mistook the signals from the flat tire for a hub bearing issue and continued driving.
It was unfortunate that it was the rear wheel that went flat, but I was lucky to realize it just in time.
I urge everyone to get their vehicles serviced promptly for safe driving!
Fortunately, my Laetabo came with a spare tire, so after calling for roadside assistance, I installed it and drove home slowly.
Everyone, please drive safely! 😭
And two days later...
I urgently needed to replace the tire.
The spare tire hadn’t been used in so long that it was flat too, haha.
Oh no, not again! 😭
I didn’t notice the puncture on the tire, but it had a metal shard stuck in it. 😭
I contacted a close acquaintance to arrange for the tire and hub bearing repair.
Oh wow... even now it looks terrifying.
The tire was completely shredded on the side.
The flat spare tire, haha.
Oh no...
Let's go ahead and replace it.
First, I’ll replace the hub bearing.
Replacing the hub bearing on the Laetabo was relatively straightforward.
Just loosen the bolts, and you're done, haha.
Oh man... I should have done this sooner...
This is where the hub bearing is located.
The symptoms were as I mentioned earlier: a humming noise that resonates through the vehicle like tire noise.
New hub bearing... please treat it well!!!
And here’s the new Kumho tire I’m going to replace.
Oh... this tire has a 60,000-kilometer warranty (how do I claim that warranty?).
It’s an upgraded size, but the original tire size is 175/50/15.
Kumho offers two types of small car tires, and this is the more expensive option.
I’ll write a review later.
I’ve completed the hub bearing replacement!
I’m planning to replace only two tires, so I’ll swap the front tires to the back.
I’ll install the new tires on the front wheels.
However, I had a bit of a mishap while installing this tire, haha.
Look closely!!!
Do you see the tire dust inside? Haha.
It’s a Nexen tire, but even so, the sidewall was damaged... the dust is shocking.
I apologize for the mess caused by this dust, haha.
Let’s check the wheel balance.
The wheel condition isn’t great... haha.
Or maybe the tire is weird... either way, I’ll get it balanced.
It’s a lightweight wheel, but how much weight do they add? Haha.
I’ve finished up.
I combined new Kumho tires for the front and the existing Nexen tires for the rear.
Previously, I lost a lock nut and only one remained, which is a bit of a problem...
I need to quickly find another one and install it. 😭
Neglecting maintenance is a no-go!~
This post may seem trivial about tires and hub bearings, but as you can see, it led to quite an incident, haha.
So everyone, please keep up with your maintenance!
From this experience, I will take even better care of my Laetabo.
* In the future, I will post information and reviews about the Kumho Tire 175 50 15 TA31.* I would like to thank Kim Motors in Osan for their quick help in sourcing the parts.
* I’ll wrap it up here.
#LaetaboHubBearing #HubBearing #CarMaintenance
#TirePuncture #TireFlat #KumhoTireTA31 #KumhoTire
#SmallCarTire #NextReview
#TPMS #TypesWithout #BeSureToCheckBeforeDriving
#PreventiveMaintenance only #SafeDriving is the way to go.