# Front wheel bearing DIY anybody?



## Sickboy (Oct 13, 2004)

Think one of my front bearings needs changing, can't complain 140k on them  
Anybody have one go before that can confirm what the sound is like? Mine starts at about 40mph and gets progressively louder.
It has got a little worse over past week or so but don't want to leave it any longer.

I'm getting the parts together to do the job and was wondering if anybody has any advice? I found a write up on another site for a VW which looks very similar
http://forums.vwvortex.com/showthread.php?1722551

I've been looking at bearing separator kits on ebay, does anybody know if this will do the trick?
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/21-PCS-Front- ... 1c1b01c2fc

Thanks in advance


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## SteviedTT (Apr 10, 2009)

If you jack it up, grab the wheel at 12 and 6 oclock and try to wobble it, that'll tell you if the bearing's gone.


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## Sickboy (Oct 13, 2004)

did that but no play in it, but the sound it's making would point to the bearings?! brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr if you know what I mean?


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## adajason (Feb 4, 2010)

It could be your tires?


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## Sickboy (Oct 13, 2004)

adajason said:


> It could be your tires?


Nah it's not tyres, I can tell it's something mechanical over tyre noise, it's a grinding droning sound


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## NoMark (Jul 6, 2011)

Sickboy said:


> did that but no play in it, but the sound it's making would point to the bearings?! brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr if you know what I mean?


Agree that with the type of bearings used on the front axle which is driven (double row ball bearing), you often don't get play even when the bearing is worn/pitted.


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## antcole (Apr 4, 2009)

If youre 100% on the particular wheel, its not too bad a job.
You will need a friendly garage to press out the old bearing and press in the new one, ok if you can get the hub to the garage.
The write-up looks about the same style hub and the kit is suitable but be prepared for the bearing to be VERY tight to pull out using a screw type puller and strongback.... christ theyre tight to move... hence, an hydraulic press is preferred.
Removing the hub might involve removal of the strut to make life easier, plus you would need ball joint splitters etc... and the proper torques from the Bentley manual.... mines about 5000 miles away at the moment so i cant help there for the minute....

Ive found the best way to identify which wheel is to get on some smooth tarmac and swerve the car left and right.... when swerving right, if the noise gets louder its the nearside or left side wheel due to the weight being pushed onto that corner... and swerving left to identify the offside or right side wheel... etc.

Anyway, heres an exploded pic of the hub and bearings etc -










Hope thats useful mate.


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## 1sttt (Nov 6, 2011)

Bearing noise normally gets worse going round corner or goes away does yours do this . Have you looked under your car might e a trim panel loose just a thought .


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## superdale (Aug 5, 2011)

Sickboy said:


> adajason said:
> 
> 
> > It could be your tires?
> ...


Hi - yes it sounds like a front bearing. Have just had mine done it started off sounding like a rumbling noise when you went above 35mph. Over a few weeks it got worse to the point if you turned the steering wheel and loaded one side you would get a grinding sound. It was difficult to determine but if I turned right the sound got worse, which turned out to be the left wheel bearing. My car is also 2000 but with 97K on it. I suspect the other side will also need doing soon as there is still a slight rumble, and if one bearing was worn out / pitted the other cannot be far behind.
I figured it was beyond my skills and required specific bearing tools so paid the garage £150 to do mine, but if you are investing in the tools then I would do both bearings for the small extra cost.
I think you sort of become accustomed to the additional noise over time, as when anyone else got in the car they noticed it straight away, but as there was no play in the wheel and the car still passed the MOT with only an advisory it was quite easy to put off doing.
Best of luck with it.


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## benno82 (Jun 17, 2011)

superdale said:


> Sickboy said:
> 
> 
> > adajason said:
> ...


Exactly the same with mine, it was on about 105k and its a 03. Speed over about 30/35mph and it would start to wuuuurrrrrr. Hard to describe the noise but it would get louder with more speed. It was the front left that went, apparently these tend to go first due to hitting things like drain covers etc so they take more of a beating. Cost £145 I think from a local garage but you'll need a wheel alignment done afterwards (unless the garage will do it as part of the job).


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## Sickboy (Oct 13, 2004)

Thanks for the replies! I bought the new bearings for both sides, the bearing separator kit and hub nut socket. Just got to get hold of a jawed puller to get the hub off. All in all on cost me 90 quid for the stuff up to now and that's for doing both sides.
Plus I love to give myself jobs that are a ball ache, it's in my nature!  I'll report back once done with any useful info in case somebody looks in future.


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## Sickboy (Oct 13, 2004)

Just and update- Replaced the near side front bearing yesterday. Was a little time consuming due to not doing one before.
All in all was a straight forward job, but would only tackle it with the correct tools! I spent £110 on both bearings for front wheels, a 30mm 12 point socket to get hub nut off, bearing removing kit and some 3 jaw pullers. 3 jawed puller were a waste of time because rather than separating the hub it just pushed the stub axle inside. we ended up knocking the hub out with a piece of copper and a lump hammer, but would use a slide hammer with a hub adapter if I was to do the next side.
The link I added in the first post is pretty much identical to how I did it.


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## nordic (Apr 26, 2010)

Nobody mentioned corroded/worn brake disks? [smiley=gossip.gif]


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## Sickboy (Oct 13, 2004)

nordic said:


> Nobody mentioned corroded/worn brake disks? [smiley=gossip.gif]


Replace them before they get that bad!  
Drill out the retaining screw than [email protected] it with a lump hammer!


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## StuartDB (Feb 10, 2018)

I know this is an old thread but I am trying to work out whether this is easy enough for a "non mechanic" to do DIY, I can follow the instructions and have previously pressed out the rose joints on the rear tie arms - but this seems too specialist with an ABS adapter required and I dont like starting something that I can't just put back and drive the car to a garage if it goes wrong? I assume it will be a couple of hundred quid each side by a garage? there does seem to be a few people also replacing the hubs and they are often sold together - has anyone actually done this on axle stands on their driveway?

and should you change both sides at the same time?

Thanks


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## KenBarlow123 (Mar 6, 2018)

StuartDB said:


> I know this is an old thread but I am trying to work out whether this is easy enough for a "non mechanic" to do DIY, I can follow the instructions and have previously pressed out the rose joints on the rear tie arms - but this seems too specialist with an ABS adapter required and I dont like starting something that I can't just put back and drive the car to a garage if it goes wrong? I assume it will be a couple of hundred quid each side by a garage? there does seem to be a few people also replacing the hubs and they are often sold together - has anyone actually done this on axle stands on their driveway?
> 
> and should you change both sides at the same time?
> 
> Thanks


I changed my front bearings a couple of months ago. £28 quid for the pair. 
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Front-Wh...del:TT&hash=item1c89d65f2d:g:3t4AAOSwcj5ZVPr6

Pressed them out and pressed them in using a strong arm press. The hardest part was part of the bearing was stuck so had to grind it out. Next time I'd just replace the abs ring at the same time to avoid this. They are certainly cheap enough (about £15 each).

Took a couple of hours max to do both sides.

All the best

Ken


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## StuartDB (Feb 10, 2018)

Cool thanks, I have been quoted about an hour for each side from the local Indy I trust - he did show me where he needed to replace flange where the previous wheel bearing change had slipped - I'm sure this is a wheel bearing issue it started about 3 weeks ago sounding like tyre noise and now starts at about 35mph. the garage can just do the labour too so I may buy hubs and bearings for about £50 a side and then pay for this labour.

did you get an abs adapter like in the vortex article?


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## DazWaite (Dec 4, 2012)

Hi, I've done a few of these and you don't need any abs adapter......if you look at John-H's write up you'll see how easy it is to do with the £50 hub/bearing removal set......Daz


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## DazWaite (Dec 4, 2012)

https://www.ttforum.co.uk/forum/viewtop ... 7&t=909193


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## TT Grant (Apr 24, 2018)

I thought the hub centers were available with the bearing & ABS ring fitted as a chunk for about £30 each, negating the need to separate the sub parts ?


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## StuartDB (Feb 10, 2018)

I thought this too, but they are separate for this model car. Eg 8n, 8l, golf iv


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## StuartDB (Feb 10, 2018)

Thanks for your help I decided to try just bearings first (fingers crossed it'll be okay) that is £42+£42 from GSF - 59% WKD59 makes it £34 for two wheel bearings not bad 

I am tempted to look at this myself but the cost is only 2 wheel bearing presses, and I hope I wont have to do the same again next year.


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## StuartDB (Feb 10, 2018)

Well local garage replaced my supplied wheel bearings, he said there was nothing obviously wrong with existing ones, although when i drove it there i could hear / feel the vibrations and on the short journey home i couldn't. The real test will be the long fast drive into work.

What he did say is someone had taken an angle grinder to the hub but he doesn't believe it will cause an issue.


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