I have a 2000 C70 Convertible HPT (68,000 miles), and when the wheels turn, you can hear a low gutteral grinding/vibration type sound. My Volvo dealer told me that the diagnosis was a "loud bearing noise from front hubs." He said I'm going to need 2 new front hub assemblies. But the OEM Part (#272456?) is $190 each + $180 labor for each side! So this replacement will run be close to $740!

Do I have to do this? Is this a safety concern if I don't do this? The noise doesn't really bother me - but could something worse happen if I don't do anything? Can this just be oiled or tightened or something? I don't even really know what these bearings or hub assemblies are. I'm about as mechanical as a cocker spaniel.

Also, does anyone know of a good service place (specializing in volvos or european cars) that could do stuff like this in the Orlando (or Central Florida) area? I've always wanted to be safe, so I always went to the dealer, but those service checkups were just getting way way too expensive, so I started going to Jiffy Lubes, etc. In fact, just today I installed Quiet Stop brake pads on the front and rear, new rotors on the front (multiple places said I needed those), and resurfaced the rear rotors. (This didn't fix the noise problem, incidentally.)

Any help would be great!