Method for determining the beginning of a wear-related remaining service life of an elastically deformable component as a structural part and/or bearing part of a device, wherein various deformation forces which lead to component wear limiting the component service life and are dependent on changing operating states act on the elastically deformable component in the course of operation, and the device is equipped with a means for determining the component service life, in particular for establishing the beginning of a wear-related remaining component service life, wherein an operating state which recurs at time intervals and is the same each time is predetermined and is assigned a periodically acting deformation force which is the same each time and by which the elastically deformable component material is periodically deformed, wherein an energy input with a measurable temperature increase in comparison with an ambient temperature takes place due to flexing work and wherein the respective temperature increase as a characteristic variable becomes greater in the course of a component service life in a way corresponding to a decreasing component stiffness, such a predetermined operating state is in each case detected by a measuring and evaluation unit of the means for determining the component service life and, after establishing such a predetermined operating state, a measuring operation is automatically started by a starting signal, wherein the temperature increase at the particular time is measured by at least one component-assigned temperature sensor in comparison with the ambient temperature as a characteristic variable for a component stiffness at the particular time, and wherein the operationally increased operating temperature at the component in the preset operating state is only measured after the started measuring operation when there is an established constant operating temperature, and for this purpose an existing temperature transient is sensed by the measuring and evaluation unit and the operating temperature measurement is only carried out when the temperature transient at the component in a balanced temperature state with approximately the same operational heat absorption and heat dissipation to the surroundings tends towards zero and/or that, after a started measuring operation, a waiting time which can be preset at the measuring and evaluation unit is allowed to pass, along with at the same time an existing loading time period up to the operating temperature measurement, after which a balanced temperature state with a constant temperature has been reached, successive, measured characteristic variables are in each case stored in a measuring curve, with a comparator unit of the measuring and evaluation unit, a comparison with a characteristic-variable measured value at a particular time with respect to previous, stored characteristic-variable measured values is carried out, with the result that the characteristic-variable measured values stored over a relatively long service life as characteristic variables for the component stiffness are approximately the same and the measuring curve formed from the characteristic-variable measured values forms a plateau region with a small increase in slope in the course of this service life, in a way corresponding to a largely constant component stiffness, whereby a further safe component function is established, or that alternatively, over a service life which is short in comparison with the service life of the plateau region, characteristic-variable measured values sensed one after the other become successively and progressively greater, so that the plateau region is left in a way corresponding to a progressive decrease in the component stiffness, whereby the beginning of a wear-related remaining component service life of a time which can be preset is established and corresponding warning information is output, in particular when an increase in slope of the measuring curve for the characteristic-variable measured values which is preset as a threshold value is reached.