7 wheeal bearings at 230,000 kms???!!

Hi all! I have a serious reoccurring problem with my 1996, Honda Accord
(2-dr, 5-speed). At 230,000 kms, it is in need of it's 7th wheel bearing.
About three years ago, the Px side rear bearing started to act up; I
replaced it. A year later and 30,000+ kms, later, the same bearing went
again. And again, the same bearing one year later. About two weeks ago, my
front driver's side started to act up. I replaced it today as it was really
starting to get loud. To my surprise, on the drive home, the whining sound
is still there but not as loud. The mechanic at the dealer stated on the
invoice that he checked the right rear bearing and it indeed needed to be
replaced (again). However, I don't think he checked the driver's side rear
bearing as it is also making noise (I am getting good at diagnosing which
bearing is acting up). That will make is seven bearings in only 115,000
kms!
I have spoken with 4 service managers or Honda mechanics way back when I was
only on my fourth bearing. All state that this is highly unusual. One told
me to contact Honda Canada. I did. They may as well have laughed at me, as
it was quite clear that even though they admitted it was unusual, there was
nothing they could do and I should be complaining to a service manager.
I am not willing to let this go. I have owned 6 different Honda vehicles. I
have only ever changed 1 bearing before - eve r- and that was on a '79
accord; it need new rotors and the bearing had seized onto the rotor; the
bearing was still ok. All of my previous cars have lasted to the 400,000-km
mark too. I also own a 90-hp Honda outboard motor and various other Honda
products. I believe I am entitled to a little more customer loyalty.
Does anybody have some suggestions or contacts for my next step?
One more thing and this may sound a little funny. Through the course of
speaking to other people about this problem I have heard an interesting
diagnosis from two different people. They state that a bad ground can cause
premature bearing failure. The logic is that the engine is on rubber
mounts - electrically isolated from the frame. If the frame builds a static
electric charge, the only course it can take to the engine is to arc through
the bearings. It sounds so ridiculous that it might actually be true.
Ironically, one of the first things I noticed with this car was that I
always got one helluva shock whenever I exited the vehicle. Whaddya think?

 

Yes, it is ridiculous. It would take voltage and current in the order of an
arc welder to do any damage. Electrostatic charges are high voltage
(thousands of volts) and very little current.

Bearings fail because of dirt and/or unusual loads. In 30 years I've never
seen a failure due to a manufacturing error.

Far more likely is one or more of the following:

There's some sort of suspension misalignment in the rear. If the rear axle
is not parallel with the front, the car crabs, and this can cause odd
bearing wear. Worn suspension bush or bushes can cause bad alignment when
driving, esspecially after 200,00km

The bearing was poorly installed, or the oil seals were not replaced.

The right rear brake is dragging slightly, causing a heat build up == more
wear.

If a front bearing fails at 200,000+ km, thats not a failure, its the end of
normal service life.

And maybe you are just unlucky.

Since this all started at about 115,000km, I'd suspect some other force eg
worn suspension bushes, are the most likely cause.

Stewart DIBBS