I got a little sideways myself in a corner and dug into the gravel edge deep enough to chip the paint of the wheel edges on the passenger side right after installing the nitrous. One of them embarrassing learning torque steering moments. Are the wheels still available from GM, and did the insurance cover it.? Back to riding on OEM and the chips bug me, my chromes have started rusting out @ 2 1/2 years old. Guess I should have been more diligent about keeping em clean in the winter. We ride on salt here nearly 6 months out of the year.

Zeevert, I'm having a problem with my drivers side wheel bearing and the dealer won't do anything as they say they can't hear anything. Since I drive the car all the time, I can tell a differance. I get a clunking noise as well as a rythemic thumping type sound when driving. Did you change your wheel bearing yourself? If so, did the job require any special tools. Since it'* getting really cold in Michigan, It'* either fix it now or drive it through the winter and hope it doesn't fail all together. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Insurance covered it. I'm pretty sure it was a new OEM wheel. That was +1 year ago. Who knows now?

Yes, I changed it myself. I've done a few over the years.

You should have a decent set of tools, and you will need a large socket for the axle nut and "puller" to push the axle out of the hub. These are available for loan from AutoZone or Murray'* (I think). The spline on shaft has a slight helix to lock it in, hence, the puller. An air impact is a definite plus.

If you haven't done one before, you should wait for help or warmer weather before trying.

I have a spare car, so I can afford to be brave.

Hey Zeevert, I've never changed a wheel bearing on a front wheel drive and was hoping you could tell me how hard it was. The dealer refuses to do anything even though it'* under warranty and the car only has 12k miles on it. I'm getting slight clunking sound and if I drive the car far enough to get it good and hot, it starts screaching. I also get a pulsating, wooble effect on the drivers side and it gets worse the hotter it gets. I've already put the new slotted and drilled brake rotors and ceramic pads on it, so I know the feelings not coming from the brakes. The dealer can't duplicat the noice since they only drive the car a couple miles. It never seems to make the noise when they have it. So to eliminate any more frustration, I want to do it myself. Did you need any special tools to replace the hub. Also, did you use OEM parts or did you use an aftermarket part. I'm slowly losing faith in the quality of GM OEM parts. Any help or direction you can provide would be greatly appreciated.

If you have some experience and the right tools, it only takes a few hours. As I said before, you do need some special tools and socket.
Without experience, you can get in trouble that can take days.

I use mostly aftermarket parts. I price compare with OEM via GMPartsDirect.

I think I went with ValuCraft this time for the bearing: $90.

If you're under warranty and only have 12,000 miles, I can't believe you have these problems and you really should get it covered under warranty.

If the dealer is refusing to do it then speak the the manager and explain it to him. If you still can't get it done then ask for the number for GM and file a complaint. If your under warranty and there is a problem it needs to be fixed. But if you want to do it yourself. You can get parts at Auto Parts Fast at RockAuto or you can also get good after market parts from here. INTENSE-Racing.com: Front Hub Bearing

Thanks for the help Zeevert and Danthurs. I provided a less than satisfactory survey regarding the last service visit so maybe someone from Pontiac will respond. I'm so tired of fighting with GM to get things fixed on a 38K dollar car. I had no problem getting things fixed when I drove a Cadillac. There may be a CTS-V in my futue if this lousy service continues. Again thanks for the advice and information regarding the tools needed to "do it myself".