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Wheel Bearing Change

Hoon

Hoon

Autocross Champion
Location
Rhode Island
Engineer90 said:
Not yet as I am more confused now :confused:

Yesterday I took it to my mechanic, we lifted the car, looked underneath, spun the tires and nothing seems out of place. Did a tire rotation and the vibration is still there :( so that crosses off my new wheels from the list of suspects

I am more confused though, because yesterday me and my mechanic drove the car... he's a heavy guy. Since the car had a heavy load on the right side, the vibration wasn't there... so I am going back to my first theory that my front passenger strut is shot. He's not sure what it could be either. So I'm at 50/50, either the bearing or strut
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Did the vibration start after the install of the wheels? If so I'll take hubcentric rings for $500, Alex!
 
anotero

anotero

Autocross Champion
Location
Hither and thither
Car(s)
Mk7 GTI
CB1111 said:
You need to find a suspension shop. Otherwise you'll just keep throwing money at the car without a resolution.
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This, very much.
I'm looking for a suspension shop. When it comes to general stuff, i can "diagnose" the problem just the same. We need folks that can actually sort through all the symptoms and pinpoint the location of the problem.
 
anotero

anotero

Autocross Champion
Location
Hither and thither
Car(s)
Mk7 GTI
Engineer90 said:
That guy sounds like a d**k hole :mad:



My mechanic is cool, he has a small shop with 3 lifts. Plus, speaking Spanish with him and showing him I know wtf I'm talking about cars helps.



I am starting to think I'll just get new Bilstein B8s, ball joints, and bearings. I hate that my GTI, a car that I love, is driving like it's a 150k mile 15 year old car :( depressing.
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Yep, he was going to make me put out $300 for a single OEM bearing, without taking a single look at the car. No, thanks. Gonna find a good susp.shop and have them check on the quality of his shocks/springs installation he did back in October. My current problem is not due to that, but would be good to know how things are down there regardless.
When i brought the car in for shock/spring install and told his aide (i think he's the mechanic's relative) about a clunk coming from the rear, he said it's normal on uneven sloped surfaces such as driveways. Said he'll look at the RSB and bushings if he has time. They were trying to get me out of there ASAP, so obviously never looked at the RSB. Later i found out online that clunking is due to worn out RSB bushings. I replaced one myself, tightened all fasteners, clunking gone. Just goes to show the level of professionalism and understanding of car problems. "Never again!" (c) lol
 
Hoon

Hoon

Autocross Champion
Location
Rhode Island
Engineer90 said:
Doubt that's it. I got them rotated yesterday and still the same issue.
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If all the rings are the wrong size or have a problem, rotation is not going to do any good.

Did the vibration start after the new wheels?
 
Twist1

Twist1

Autocross Newbie
Location
Breaking Mustang Hearts
I have a slight vibration and rhythmic hum going through gas and brake pedals as well at speed.

If a wheel bearing is actually going out you will know it very clearly. If it's very slight don't even worry about it. One of the first symptoms in a tuned car other than sounds and vibrations is a sudden increase in torque steer in a fwd car that has almost none (mk7) to begin with. If it starts really pulling wheel hard to the left, put car up on jacks, then have a friend spin axles as fast as they can and listen for loose bearing ball thingys . Works better with wheels off.
 
anotero

anotero

Autocross Champion
Location
Hither and thither
Car(s)
Mk7 GTI
Twist said:
I have a slight vibration and rhythmic hum going through gas and brake pedals as well at speed.

If a wheel bearing is actually going out you will know it very clearly. If it's very slight don't even worry about it. One of the first symptoms in a tuned car other than sounds and vibrations is a sudden increase in torque steer in a fwd car that has almost none (mk7) to begin with. If it starts really pulling wheel hard to the left, put car up on jacks, then have a friend spin axles as fast as they can and listen for loose bearing ball thingys . Works better with wheels off.
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The pinpoint vibration on braking started 10k mi after getting tuned. Then chassis vibration increased when cruising, then steering wheel vibration intensified. Now i feel grinding vibrations when cruising even on good pavement. I hear what sounds like bearing noise in relatively sharp and fast turns. From all of my amateur diagnosis it appears the bearings are indeed shot. Considering 60k mi over bad roads around here, it sounds like a sound (lol) diagnosis. But regardless, a visit to a good suspension shop is in the cards for me. I love the car, keeping it for 4 more years, i want it to ride well.
 
E

Engineer90

Ready to race!
Location
NJ
Hoon said:
If all the rings are the wrong size or have a problem, rotation is not going to do any good.

Did the vibration start after the new wheels?
Click to expand...

It started before the new wheels, but wasn't as strong. I hit the front-passenger side 2-3 times since we got some snow and craters were left in the streets after the plows. I thought I bent the wheel again, but I brushed it off since I was gonna get the new wheels. Now mind you, the 225/40/18 that come stock with the Austins are stiffer than the 245/45/17 I got now. I suspect the oscillation is more pronounced because the side wall is taller. I also feel somewhat more of a dip from the front-passenger side when braking hard. This is why I suspect it could be the ball bearing, strut, or wheel bearing/hub.

That being said, I could get new hub centric rings, that wouldn't hurt. Any recommendations?
 
cb1111

cb1111

Newbie
Location
Virginia, USA
Engineer90 said:
It started before the new wheels, but wasn't as strong. I hit the front-passenger side 2-3 times since we got some snow and craters were left in the streets after the plows. I thought I bent the wheel again, but I brushed it off since I was gonna get the new wheels. Now mind you, the 225/40/18 that come stock with the Austins are stiffer than the 245/45/17 I got now. I suspect the oscillation is more pronounced because the side wall is taller. I also feel somewhat more of a dip from the front-passenger side when braking hard. This is why I suspect it could be the ball bearing, strut, or wheel bearing/hub.

That being said, I could get new hub centric rings, that wouldn't hurt. Any recommendations?
Click to expand...
Where are you in NJ? I'm sure many people here can chime in with suspension shop recommendations.

Don't keep throwing money at this until you know what the problem is. If your hubcentric rings fit properly then there is no reason to replace them.
 
E

Engineer90

Ready to race!
Location
NJ
CB1111 said:
Where are you in NJ? I'm sure many people here can chime in with suspension shop recommendations.

Don't keep throwing money at this until you know what the problem is. If your hubcentric rings fit properly then there is no reason to replace them.
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I'm in the Newark area, so you can imagine roads over here are like the craters on the moon.

The rings seem to fit properly, so we'll see.
 
scrapin240

scrapin240

Drag Racing Champion
Location
IzzaGolf
Car(s)
Golf
the wheel bearings are a weak point on this car. 30k miles on a stock suspension seems to be about the norm for replacement, at least on the mk7
 
R

russiankid

Drag Race Newbie
Location
PA
If you're looking for a good shop and don't mind a drive, go to Gear One Performance in West Chester PA. They work on Subi, Porsche, VW, etc. One of there guys has a MK7.
 
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