1999 toyota solara with 168,000 miles. Had a humming sound when traveling at highway speeds from the rear of the car for a while and mechanic said the wheel bearing on the left rear wheel needed replacement. Says approx $400 to replace.
Normally would bite the bullet and pay to repair, but I only drive literally 2-3 miles a day (to the train station and back) and anticipate having the car for just another year or two.
Can I keep driving on "bad" bearings until they go out completely or will I cause further damage doing that? What happens when they go out completely?