RedDragoN750

So judging by the banshee like howl coming from underneath my car, the wheel bearings need replacing. But before I shell out the extortionistic amount for these, is there a way of narrowing down which ones actually need replacing. or do I just sell my first-born and change all four? Also, the best price I've found so far are for ***/SKF, I know everybody hates Meyle, but how are these? Thanks.

ricoblanco

Worn out tires can be loud and mistaken for bad wheel bearings.

RedDragoN750

fairly old, but still have some life in them. This is definitely a squealing, not a whining. and it increases in corners.

ricoblanco

your wheel bearings. I've been through that before and it's more of a loud growl or groaning.

DaveInSaltLake

brake backing shield?

wotseurba

had a bent disk brake splash shield. Must have taken a hit from some road debris, and bent the shield just enough to contact the rotor. It too made more noise when cornering. Worth looking at.

DennisStehlik

loading and unloading the wheels by turning left and right slightly as you go down the road/highway. The bad side is the one that is loud as you load it and not so loud as you unload..(turning right- unloads the right side). Then see if there is when speeding up and breaking (Still not convinced speeding/breaking really helps..the idea is that this loads front and back..front loading when breaking).

I have done 4 bearings now on our A6s. One front and both backs on a '96 Avant Frontrack, and a front on the '97 Avant. The backs are easy on a fronttrack. Can be done in an hour or so. The failure on the back of the Frontrack... there was groaning, then grumbling as the bearings started to disintegrate, and when you lifted the car you could literally move the tire around by hand. The front bearing is a completely different beast. Did it about 2 years ago on my '96 and about 2 months ago on my wife's '97.

I had a slight groan going on a 97 A6 Avant with about 130K on it. Think the '96 bearing went out at about the same age..but the other one is still good at 240k. With this most recent one, I narrowed it down to the right front. Spent a good 6 hours pressing it out and a new one in. Really....It is like wrestling and pinning down a 1000 lb greased pig!!! I didn't have the exact right tools. You will need a 6 to 8 foot really solid iron or steel tube, bearing pressing out and in tools (purchase from Harbor Freight, might be able to rent from auto parts place) and would really help having a 1500 ft/lb or so impact hammer (not your typical wimpy shop impact hammer) to use with the bearing puller/pressing tool. I just used I vise bolted to the garage floor and the 6 foot bar to screw out and then back in the press. At 6 +feet it is still a lot of force to get the bearing out and in. In the end, I got it done all for the price of the bearing...about $100 if I remember correctly. Shop wanted some crazy amount to do it. If you don't want to press it out and in yourself...take the entire strut out and the shop will do it for about $50 to $100.

Oh..also a good time to change your front struts on the wheel you are working on. Be careful not to screw up you ABS sensor or break lines. Have fun.

DHaralson

Had a persistent metallic squeaking that was really noticeable while going down the highway next to a jersey barrier....

When I replaced the front bearings, I did the right front first. That cured the noise. I was still getting a bit of the howling but it was very hidden by engine noise and that proved to be the front left.

To say that the bearings don't squeel/squeek wasn't the case with my rig.

hotgrips

Does anyone know if the OTC wheel bearing sets called Master or Master-Elite good for pressing out and replacing 2001 A6 front wheel bearings. I've reached that point and home-made quick fabricate tools don't budge it. They are priced differently on eBay and I don't want to buy more than I need to get this done.

Jim02351

is a Hub Shark. You can get the set on Ebay, use it and resell it. Using the Hubshark, it takes about 20 minutes per side once you've remove the axle bolt and get the wheels off. As for which side is making the noise, it doesn't matter. Do them in pairs and you don't have to worry about them for another 100K miles or so.