Can a mechanic tell that your wheel bearings needs to be replaced, just by taking off the tires?

yeah a good mechanic can . but you should be able to tell if you have a good ear.you cant replace the bearing alone you have to replace the whole hub which might run you about 300 bucks and up . lift your car up and grab the wheel bottom and top and rock it to see if you have any play . even a minute amount of play can mean bearing replacement.for a six year old car this is kind of premature failure

They can tell by the play in the hub. Bearings will cause the hub to move around in ways it was not designed. Yes, they can tell by moving the wheel hub around.

You know what is really sad is that we mechanics are always having to say Good Luck. Its a jungle out there! All good answers above.

He should be able to tell. there will be slop in the hub or a rough sound when you spin the wheel or rotor. You can either hear it or feel it. good luck.

A real good experienced one can, but BS ones can lie to you and fake the funk..... it is hard to trust people these days.....

would be easier to tell with the wheels on

pretty much -- if you're concerned, mechanics are s'posed

to give the old parts back -- see for yourself.