Wheel bearing replacement cost

[Grainfoot]

Always when you go away.
Rear wheel bearing needs replacing and I'm on the Isle of Uist. Could hear it gradually getting worse and now don't fancy the long drive home with it.
Found a garage in the island and they are replacing tomorrow. Fingers crossed should be ok to get home then.
How much should I be expecting to pay for a rear wheel bearing replacement and why has it gone after doing only 30,000 mile.

 

[R8N XX]

Mine has done 21k a 2016 and I have replaced both front ones myself.
rears are easier as no shafts unless u have a 4M

it took me a few hours on the first one but then it was easier.
I think I have a rear one Out too. How’s ya luck.

 

[DXX]

why has it gone after doing only 30,000 mile.

Too much grease.
Not enough grease.
Wrong grease.
Incorrectly adjusted when installed.
Contamination.
Wheel spacers / wider tyres than stock putting additional moment on the bearing.

 

[Grainfoot]

Two hour job at most and 4 hours later I am still sat at garage on Uist.
For some reason they have taken wishbone off to get bearing out.

 

[DXX]

Wait until they tell you there’s no spare bearing available but the local blacksmith will make one!
I guess they are making hay when the sun shines. Piracy still exists in some parts of the world.

 

[Niall.b]

Two hour job at most and 4 hours later I am still sat at garage on Uist.
For some reason they have taken wishbone off to get bearing out.

theres a special puller for these. Obviously the garage has taken the wishbone out to use a floor press to remove/fit the bearing instead

 

[Cymro]

Two hour job at most and 4 hours later I am still sat at garage on Uist.
For some reason they have taken wishbone off to get bearing out.

...probably because the wishbone can be used as a good bearing driver - 2 hour job and 2 hours to find a rock!

 

[JOG]

Too much grease.
Not enough grease.
Wrong grease.
Incorrectly adjusted when installed.
Contamination.
Wheel spacers / wider tyres than stock putting additional moment on the bearing.

Did you forget “driving”?!!

 

[DXX]

Did you forget “driving”?!!

Hah, oddly enough bearing life is fairly predictable if in service. Issues with reliability arise when bearings are static in the same position, everything is vibrating.
Brinelling, have a read of this just before bed…..zzzzz.

Brinelling - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Many a pump, motor, etc has failed after being in storage for say 10 years and having never been turned.
Vibrating Balls JOG, handing it to you on a plate.

 

[JOG]

Hah, oddly enough bearing life is fairly predictable if in service. Issues with reliability arise when bearings are static in the same position, everything is vibrating.
Brinelling, have a read of this just before bed…..zzzzz.

Brinelling - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Many a pump, motor, etc has failed after being in storage for say 10 years and having never been turned.
Vibrating Balls JOG, handing it to you on a plate.

I must decline - I need some “me time” right now as I am fretting the false brinelling! (See what I did there?!!)

 

[Paynewright]

I’d keep an eye on tyre wear as one of the rear wishbone fixings is eccentric to adjust toe in. Hopefully they marked it up before removal but its not an exact science

 

[Grainfoot]

Well it done now £316 hopefully get us home.

theres a special puller for these. Obviously the garage has taken the wishbone out to use a floor press to remove/fit the bearing instead

That's what they used

Hah, oddly enough bearing life is fairly predictable if in service. Issues with reliability arise when bearings are static in the same position, everything is vibrating.
Brinelling, have a read of this just before bed…..zzzzz.

Brinelling - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Many a pump, motor, etc has failed after being in storage for say 10 years and having never been turned.
Vibrating Balls JOG, handing it to you on a plate.

Bet that's what caused it to go. Lockdown inactivity

I’d keep an eye on tyre wear as one of the rear wishbone fixings is eccentric to adjust toe in. Hopefully they marked it up before removal but its not an exact science

Thanks will do

 

[Grainfoot]

Just had Mot done at Sheffield van centre:
Looks like they made a right pig's ear with wheel bearing replacement on Uist. Reassembled incorrectly, bolts in wrong places on trailing arm, brake pipe not secured. Damage might be enough to need a new trailing arm.
That's on top of rear spring replacements as one has broken.

 

[JOG]

Just had Mot done at Sheffield van centre:
Looks like they made a right pig's ear with wheel bearing replacement on Uist. Reassembled incorrectly, bolts in wrong places on trailing arm, brake pipe not secured. Damage might be enough to need a new trailing arm.
That's on top of rear spring replacements as one has broken.

Sounds like the apprentice was given your van. Hope they sort it out for you

 

[DXX]

Wait until they tell you there’s no spare bearing available but the local blacksmith will make one!

Not far off the mark. I hope the arm is salvageable, a hydraulic press in the wrong hands can do a sh$t load of damage.

 

[rogersibe]

too much grease.
Not enough grease.
Wrong grease.
Incorrectly adjusted when installed.
Contamination.
Wheel spacers / wider tyres than stock putting additional moment on the bearing.

It was suggested to me that driving around with a light load puts the bearings at greater risk, as the rear of the vehicle bounces and twists more and so more wear on the rear bearings. And that lowering the rear tyre pressure from the recommended low load value would help (and give a more comfortable ride), at the expense of more tyre wear. But tyres are cheaper than wheel bearing replacements!

 

[DXX]

It was suggested to me that driving around with a light load puts the bearings at greater risk, as the rear of the vehicle bounces and twists more and so more wear on the rear bearings. And that lowering the rear tyre pressure from the recommended low load value would help (and give a more comfortable ride), at the expense of more tyre wear. But tyres are cheaper than wheel bearing replacements!

A possibility I guess, If that’s the case the opposite bearing should be close to failure as well.
Selecting a bearing for an application is a complicated process.
I would think that the bearing max‘ load capacity would have some reserve and the bearing assembly pre-load torque would be set mid range between the minimum and maximum bearing load.
So there is a compromise between and empty van and a fully loaded van.
A low bearing load could risk the rollers skidding and potential overheating / failure. That said there are probably hundreds of thousands of vans on the road running without payloads and I haven’t heard too much about the bearings failing.
Who knows! Given some of the basic engineering shortcomings of the Transporter I doubt too much thought went into the running gear bearing selection.
One guaranteed way to kill a bearing is to leave it static and loaded.