Our C4's original front bearings crapped out at 8 years/60K miles (great service eh?) and the noise was unbelievable (all happened over about 2 weeks)....
That was precisely 2 years/15K miles ago.....and guess what? yep they've gone again
I remember the mechanic asking which bearings I wanted from a list of 'High to Low' pricing and because I thought they'd outlast the car I went for the cheap ones, not 'the cheapest' but the lower end of the scale thinking that would get me a decent length of service from them.
At the moment they've entered the 'woo woo woo' noise stage so be interesting* to see where this takes us.
So beware, as with sussy parts, cheapest might bring trouble sooner than you imagine.
Beware of cheap wheel bearings
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- Welly
- The moderator formally known as Welton
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Beware of cheap wheel bearings
Cars in my care:
2021 Kia Spottage 1.6 Pez Turbo Dual Clutch Gearbox Trickery
2013 Renner Twingo - donkey work
2021 Kia Spottage 1.6 Pez Turbo Dual Clutch Gearbox Trickery
2013 Renner Twingo - donkey work
- steve_earwig
- Moderator
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Re: Beware of cheap wheel bearings
Sometimes you get what you pay for. Most of the time you just get ripped off
Any idea of the make?
Any idea of the make?
Unskilled meddling sin©e 2007
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- Doggy
- Mod with a 2.2 HDi, De-Fapped!
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- Location: Northants
Re: Beware of cheap wheel bearings
They generally last and last, unless you disturb them by removing a hub for example. I ran an old Montego years ago to 12 years/215k miles and had cause to swap a few bearings in that time.
The thing that really surprised me was that even a horrendously noisy bearing exhibited almost no play or roughness once you got the sodding thing off. They were definitely knackered as the noise completely disappeared after the swap, but I believe you can soldier on with a noisy one until convenient so long as there's no detectable play at the wheel rim.
The thing that really surprised me was that even a horrendously noisy bearing exhibited almost no play or roughness once you got the sodding thing off. They were definitely knackered as the noise completely disappeared after the swap, but I believe you can soldier on with a noisy one until convenient so long as there's no detectable play at the wheel rim.
2002 HDi 2.2 Exec Estate, (2008-12) (wonderful)
2003 HDi 2.2 6-speed Exec Estate (2012-19) (also a gem)
2009 Citroen C5 2.0 HDi VTR+ Estate (godawful heap)
2008 BMW E91 330i touring (great fun - murdered by a reversing SUV)
2007 BMW E91 325i touring (slower smoother quieter)
2003 HDi 2.2 6-speed Exec Estate (2012-19) (also a gem)
2009 Citroen C5 2.0 HDi VTR+ Estate (godawful heap)
2008 BMW E91 330i touring (great fun - murdered by a reversing SUV)
2007 BMW E91 325i touring (slower smoother quieter)