Mitsubishi: Possible bad wheel bearings, wheel bearings, mitsubishi eclipse

Question
Hi I have a 2001 Mitsubishi Eclipse RS 4 cylinder. I noticed that my front driver's side tire was wearing and that the others were not. The car did not shake, pull, or make any strange noises at the time so I fugured that the tires needed to be rotated and balanced. I took it to our local NAPA and they were supposed to rotate and balanced it but now there is a problem. The driver's side is now making a noise. Kinda like a roar; like a bad tire. The tires are stll good. I plan on taking it back to them, but I would like to know what I am in for. What would cause that noise now? Please Help. Thanks so much.

Answer
Hi Breeze,

The wear likely is being caused by needing an alignment. Bushings wear and things need to be adjusted from time to time. The noise you hear is likely a bad bearing, but could be a brake too. If it's a bearing, your looking at part number MR334386 for $183.12 and 1.3 hours of labor. Sometimes, when these guys take off a tire it will get stuck on the spindle or hub and they will beat on it with a big hammer until it loosens up. This will most curtainly cause a bad bearing.