VAG Wheel bearing replacement

[tim0409]

This has been a long running saga with a mystery noise (chuffing sound) coming from the front of my Skoda Scala. At first I thought it was the discs, which have been replaced twice, or a sticking caliper, but recently I have also been getting a speed sensitive noise that I suspected was a wheel bearing. I mentioned it to the MOT tester and he said there wasn’t any play in it, but I checked last week and when I spun the wheel and held on to the suspension spring I could feel vibration only on one side. I ordered a replacement bearing hub and a tool from Amazon and set to work this morning….

I removed the drive shaft and spun the hub and the bearing is definitely feels very rough. The bearing is a second generation 78mm and I couldn’t find any removal tools specifically for VAG (plenty for 72mm bearings), so ordered one for Ford (78mm), and unsurprisingly the half plates that are meant to fit round the hub don’t as the gap between the hub and hub carrier is too small (luckily I can send it back). So I am a bit stuck at the moment. Question is, what tool should I be buying/using to extract the bearing? There just doesn’t seem to be any that are for VAG cars. My only other option is to remove the hub carrier from the car and take it to a garage but I would rather fix it myself if possible.

Thanks in advance.

[E-bmw]

Can you not remove the hub carrier from the car completely & use a combination of heat on the hub & percussion through a sized drift/socket to push the old one out, then heat the hub again and freeze the bearing to assist getting the new one in?

Personally, I have never needed to use a specific tool for such jobs.

[stevieturbo]

So it just needs removed and pressed out in a press ?

[TwinKam]

These Gen2 flange/bearing assemblies are intended to be replaced in situ, but specifically they must be pressed in with the correct spacers that transfer the pressure exerted on the pre-fitted flange to the outer race of the bearing, without them all the pressure goes through the inner race and thence its balls onto the outer race, with a risk of spot overloading and damaging the races' tracks. Plenty of people will tell you that they've pressed them in this way without any issue, but there's no way of knowing that for certain.
Without the proper tool, you'll have to take the hub off the car regardless. You can then at least remove the old bearing in the conventional way by driving out the flange and bearing in a press. When it comes to fitting the new one, you may be able to make up some shims yourself to fit the gap between the flange and the outer race in order to replicate what the proper tool does, but you'll need at least three identical packs, the more the better to spread the load.

[Krikkit]

tim0409 said:

That's just hateful, why can't VAG seem to do anything simply like others? The standard bolt-on type or press-in type hubs are much better, this is like a hellscape of both.

[tim0409]

Thanks for all the replies. I had another look at it this morning (I’m struggling with a cold, which isn’t helping) and have decided to order another 78mm tool that I can modify the clamshells to hopefully fit. My plan B is to take the hub carrier off and take it to a chap I know who runs an excellent garage nearby; I helped him out with a planning issue years ago and I’ve been back a few times for advice/help when I’ve run into problems with cars and he is always great but his garage is really busy and I feel bad for taking up his time so I want to avoid hassling him if I can help it. I also want to do the other side and like a challenge! Will report back.

[tim0409]

The cheap Chinese tool arrived this morning and I gave it another go. The clamshells were too thick to go behind the hub and carrier so I used my grinder to cut a couple of raised grooves off the inside of the tool and took a little bit off the back end. It was enough to get them to sit behind the hub (although not close completely) so I gave it a go and with a bit of persuasion the bearing came out. It should be easier to refit as I don’t need to modify the part that pushes the bearing in place.