driving on bad wheel bearing
#1
driving on bad wheel bearing
i have a bad front right wheel bearing and i have been driving the car for the past 2-3 week, prob150 miles, the noise hasnt gotten any worse from when i first noticed it, i just ordered the part, i was wondering if anybody esle had the same problem and has any idea of how safe it is to drive. i just need it to last me 3 more days i drive to school every day ~30miles
thank you
thank you
#6
yeah on the '98 i have it just started making noise on the right rear. what is up with the wheel bearing going out? that should last forever. luckily I have 2 cars so I don't need to drive this one (also have 03 A4).
#7
absolutely no such thing as an everlasting wheel bearing. they last for a while but they won't last forever. just replace any that are making noise. i drove mine on 2 bad ones for 3 months but don't take me up on my words because each mechanical part is a little different so yours could last longer or maybe not. if you have a front and a rear making noise, i'd recommend doing all 4 because the rest shouldn't be that far apart from dying
#10
I just jacked up the rear of my A4 for a driver's rear wheel bearing (finally!). I've been ignoring the noise and it's been bad for way too long for me to admit. I've never seen an Audi bearing this sloppy, it sounded like I was being chased by a commercial jet all the time. After removing the LR wheel carrier, I decided to check the RR. It's bad too, but not nearly as sloppy. If I had been on the road just a few more miles, I would've ended up needing a WSS, wheel carrier, hub, and probably an axle. That could cost over $1000 in new parts if it failed completely, plus a tow, plus labor if you don't repair it yourself.
Get them done, ASAP. If your car has original bearings, it won't hurt to do both on one axle at the same time. They often wear out at the same time. Additionally, if you want to save some serious cash, pull the spindles yourself and have a shop press in new bearings. If you go to a dealer or Audi specialist, wheel bearings cost $350-390 with labor. The bearings themselves are $75 or so over the Audi parts counter. If you buy the bearing from the dealer, they likely will not charge you to press the new bearing in, and you've saved about $300 per replaced bearing in labor (2.5 hrs).
Get them done, ASAP. If your car has original bearings, it won't hurt to do both on one axle at the same time. They often wear out at the same time. Additionally, if you want to save some serious cash, pull the spindles yourself and have a shop press in new bearings. If you go to a dealer or Audi specialist, wheel bearings cost $350-390 with labor. The bearings themselves are $75 or so over the Audi parts counter. If you buy the bearing from the dealer, they likely will not charge you to press the new bearing in, and you've saved about $300 per replaced bearing in labor (2.5 hrs).