Wheel Bearings

[Yak Meat]

OEM or Aftermarket?

Any suggestions

Options:
http://www.ecstuning.com/Volkswagen-...ing/ES2535484/
http://www.ecstuning.com/Volkswagen-...earing/ES4718/
or OEM which is 2 times more expensive.

[BOUDAH]

OK YAK, Im an uncertified expert in wheel bearings. Ive swapped 4 sets out in 60k miles, off the front. Thus far my current OEM bearings have been installedfor 35k without a hitch. Ive gotten bearings from Autozone/ Aftermarket ECS... NOTHING has been proven more effective then my OEMs.

Get them from 1stvwparts.com or parts.com for a "discount" Do NOT buy them from ECS.

[Yak Meat]

thanks for the heads up. Ordered!

[BOUDAH]

I generally put 30k on the R a year. So within my first 60 k i had gone thru 3 or 4 sets, i lost track. My current set of bearings have 35k on them as i did them just before i did my timing chains 30k ago I have 154 on the R.

[Rmeitz167]

im at 96k on oem bearings lol. i have a set of the ones in the kit from german autoparts. $40 each waiting to put them in soon

[rajuncajun37]

I have nearly 130,000 on the original set?
You guys think I need a new set??

[toobigtofail]

I just bought two new OEM rear wheel bearing kits from 1stvwparts. They set me back $89.30 per kit. IMO they are well worth the money over aftermarket ones, my current wheel bearings have lasted me 134,000 miles. My front wheel bearings are the original ones and still in good shape.

[Yak Meat]

Fun Fact - an Audi/VW mechanic who is very very reputable told me today that the OEM bearings on the R32 are not the ones that ECS says, its actually the *** bearings which came from the factory.

http://www.ecstuning.com/Volkswagen-...ring/ES308029/

vs

http://www.ecstuning.com/Volkswagen-...ing/ES2535484/

[Firewired1]

hmm .. How Do I now if it's a front or a rear bearing that needs to be changed ? The car is noisy turning right so its the drivers side but front or rear ?

[Slapbladder]

hmm .. How Do I now if it's a front or a rear bearing that needs to be changed ? The car is noisy turning right so its the drivers side but front or rear ?

Jack the car up and get hold of the wheel pulling it from left to right and then also top to bottom towards you. If there is any movement replace the wheel bearing. You might find that it is the drop links on the anti rollbar that are vibrating or a CV joint.

[Yak Meat]

Jack the car up and get hold of the wheel pulling it from left to right and then also top to bottom towards you. If there is any movement replace the wheel bearing. You might find that it is the drop links on the anti rollbar that are vibrating or a CV joint.

Normally this works, in my case it did not. It was just a vibration and noise thing for me, but instantly knew it was the front passenger side...

[Slapbladder]

Normally this works, in my case it did not. It was just a vibration and noise thing for me, but instantly knew it was the front passenger side...

a few times you will find its also the rear opposite side due to resonance in the car carrying the noise....

[BOUDAH]

I have nearly 130,000 on the original set?
You guys think I need a new set??

I just have bad luck. if its not broke don't fix it unless you wanna do a refresh, but frankly for what you'd pay in labor if u pay a shop, wait till they go bad. Unless you have those Self help shops on base.

Like on FT Hood, if you wanna do a job on your car, there is a "garage/shop" with lifts and tools that allow soldiers to reserve the time, go in work on them and get assistance when/if needed.

if you want to tackle the job urself you can look into this for a next to nothing cost.

[r32dub88]

Jack the car up and get hold of the wheel pulling it from left to right and then also top to bottom towards you. If there is any movement replace the wheel bearing. You might find that it is the drop links on the anti rollbar that are vibrating or a CV joint.

just did this test a few months ago and all 4 are still good. I am at 110,000 still on same bearings from factory.

[BOUDAH]

just did this test a few months ago and all 4 are still good. I am at 110,000 still on same bearings from factory.

thats a good thing. A bearing can go bad for carious reasons. I bought the car with bad front bearings as it had 2 previous owners. So i have no idea what the issue was. Also purchased auto zone bearings and found those to be faulty, hence going through a few sets. You either have good luck, or ur car wasn't ****ed up