The front right wheel on my ford escort estate 1994 1.6 engine makes horrible noises when turning and when going fast on the motorway. It seems to have gotten worse in the last month - a friend suggested it was the front wheel bearings and that I would need to replace them. Can I buy the bearings and fix it myself??

Jessica Pyne, January 2008

i had the same on a mondeo, with a ford it usually comes as a complete unit and cost me about £30, u normally have to remove the central wheel nut and sometimes the brake disk to access it and swap fit the new one. you dont normally need to do both wheels just the one that is humming. a little test would be to grab the top of the tyre tighty and yank back and forth to see if there is any movement, if there is then its likeley to be the bearing.

bruce_uk, January 2008