"MajBach" <majbach@sympatico.ca> wrote in message
news:feGPa.19210$Tx.979449@news20.bellglobal.com.. .
> ... 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.

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