Audi A4 B8 eating wheel bearings?
Audi A4 B8 eating wheel bearings?
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Discussion

Condi

Original Poster:

19,710 posts

194 months

Monday 4th October 2021
quotequote all
Does anyone else have this problem? 2010 plate A4 with 180,000 on the clock and it's just about to have its 7th (?) wheel bearing replaced. Driven nicely, not thrown around, not driven down dirt roads, tracking done once in a while, but about every few months it whines from one corner and then needs doing again. Not the same corner, but different ones just to keep life interesting!

shtu

4,181 posts

169 months

Monday 4th October 2021
quotequote all
What brand are the replacements? I'd tend to SKF or FAG as a quality part.

Is the replacement bearing only, or bearing and flange? If it's the first, I'd suspect the refitting of the drive flange is damaging the bearing.

Finally, fitting torque. Some opt for REALLY REALLY TIGHT as a torque setting. Which is wrong.

Condi

Original Poster:

19,710 posts

194 months

Tuesday 5th October 2021
quotequote all
I presume SFK. Would be disappointed if the garages were fitting anything other than OEM or equivalent.

Just the bearings being switched out, not the flanges. Given that it's all 4 corners and they seem pretty random then I don't think its anything sinister, just appears to be quite common.

shtu

4,181 posts

169 months

Tuesday 5th October 2021
quotequote all
Then unless you're missing something out like "oh yeah, my wheels aren't balanced LOL" it's either rubbish parts or hamfisted fitting.

Your faith in garages fitting only OEM-quality parts is touching. biggrin The average-joe garage will fit whatever the parts factor has on the shelf and can be delivered that day. Because only a vanishingly-small %age of people would care.

If they're only lasting a few months, take it back.


Bear in mind that the garage could fit either of these, and charge the same to the customer for the job.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/151795421968
or
https://tps://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/234104836587

Condi

Original Poster:

19,710 posts

194 months

Tuesday 5th October 2021
quotequote all
One of the garages are Audi specialists and most stuff comes from TPS, I'd trust them to fit OEM.

They last longer than months, guess I've had the car 7 years so probably 1 a year on average. Just seems a lot!

shtu

4,181 posts

169 months

Tuesday 5th October 2021
quotequote all
It is. How many people do you know replacing bearings annually?

shtu said:
it's either rubbish parts or hamfisted fitting

Yertis

19,546 posts

289 months

Wednesday 6th October 2021
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Are you sure the bearings are failing? I once had all my wheel bearings replaced at £££ then discovered the "bearing noise" was in fact the work of Mr Michelin.