I had my tires (all four) replaced recently, and had an alignment done at the same time. Soon after I noticed a slight "warble" coming from one of the rear wheels.
Update: I was in the waiting room while the work was being performed so I'm fairly certain the car didn't fall off the lift or anything like that. And the mechanic in question was not a new hire.
I thought maybe the tire was misbalanced or the alignment wasn't quite right, so I mentioned it when I next took the vehicle in to have the oil changed. They're telling me the noise is from a bad bearing.
... which I suppose is possible. But it begs the question, why did the noise start after replacing the tire? (Put another way, why didn't I hear any noise from the bad bearing before I had the tires replaced?) And several co-workers have since shared similar experiences (at different shops).
So I'm wondering: is it possible for a bearing to be damaged by routine work such as a tire/brake maintenance? Or is it possible that before the tire replacement the old tire was somehow "masking" the problem (and how)? Or is this just a coincidence?
The vehicle in question is a 2004 Honda Odyssey if that makes any difference.
I should also note that the shop in question is one which I've used for a number of years. The owner sold the business 1-2 years ago because he could no longer afford health care for his employees; the staff has mostly remained the same (other than normal turnover), but I don't trust the new management nearly as much as the former owner.