Like the title says I've got a '12 4 door civic (I guess ex with navi?) it's an automatic, it has the r18z1 engine, says FB2 in the vin.

I need to replace the rear wheel bearings and there are two part numbers 4220-tr0-a01 and 4220-tr0-a02 both of which are overpriced IMO. Best I can find online for those specific numbers are ~$90 for one and ~$130 for the other. I don't know which I need, or even how to go about figuring it out at this point.

When I call parts stores they say I need to know whether the car was built in Canada or the US to determine which of the ~$150-170 parts I need. But a basic Google search for a 2012 civic rear wheel bearing alludes to no special part versions and shows ~$40-60 options. I don't care what brand the parts are if I can afford to replace them 3 or 4 times before my costs equal that of the genuine Honda parts, I just want to know that if I order something it is going to fit.

Any help would be greatly appreciated

 

Search for the VIN decoder here in the site. Enter your VIN and it will tell you the chassis type, manufacturer site and trim level as well as the engine type and vehicle serial number.

Most likely as a 2012 model ( probably late 2011 build), it is from the Alliston ON, Canada plant, but might be from elsewhere.

 

I tried the decoder, it works. It pulled up the whole build sheet for my FA5.

 

Thanks for the response!
So the car was manufactured by US Honda Passenger Car in 2012.

So I can at least now say for sure whether or not I need the US or Canadian part, but I'm still looking for info on whether or not the cheaper aftermarket parts will fit. If anyone else has any helpful info it would be much appreciated, otherwise I may just buy the part and see for myself.

I'll report back either way

 

It looks like you're in luck, Timken makes one for the EX, however it's very unlikely your rear bearing is already bad but if you really need to get one it is under the "Wheel Bearing and Hub Assembly" at rockauto. It doesn't appear to matter where the vehicle was made.

TIMKEN HA590449

 

I have been working on cars for quite a while, and I can't imagine what else would cause the roar I'm hearing. It sounds pretty much like a bad wheel bearing. But I'll give the tires, and brakes, and everything another good inspection. The car gets driven an hour to work one way.

Thanks for the info.

 

The 2006-2007 had a weird issue where the oring that seals the rear bearing was installed wrong and caused the bearings to corrode and wear out by around year 2008 so it's not completely out of the picture to be bad. I think if you're in snowy weather and there is ice salt on the roads it would be more possible for it to be bad. Luckily it's a simple bolt on so it's not much work to install. It's just four bolts. It's possible if you got people installing your lugnuts with an impact gun and isn't atleast using torque sticks to be sure that the torque on the lug nuts is 78 ft/lbs and not 150 ft/lbs it's possible it is wearing the bearing out prematurely.