rustyroger

Seems if you own a late model Renault, VW, Peugeot or a number of other popular models and need a rear wheel bearing or brake disc you have to buy the two together.
So you have a bearing gone bad?, ok, you will need both sides because you must change discs in pairs, and of course new pads as well.
Rear discs worn?, no problem, of course you will have to throw two perfectly servicable bearings away.
In either case you are compelled to buy parts that don't need replacing.


The bearings are easily removed from the discs with circlip pliers and a press (which can be substituted with a good vise, large old bearings and common sense), but you cannot buy them separately.


Do you have the similar ridiculous issues over there?. I guess I'm old fashioned, but I hate throwing away parts with plenty of life left in them because another part has failed.


Roger.

Kyle's 77 Cutlass

Well that doesn't sound right. Are you going right to vw?

1970cs

Well if it just a bearing issue, I am making an assumption that you may have a industrial bearing supply house or maybe go to a farm dealership.

I am sure that you know that all bearings should have a number on them somewhere. You can call those referenced above with number and maybe they have a match. At my dealership we have a cross-reference on the computer and use that to cross back to a part number for Massey, New Holland or Kubota.

Pat

oldcutlass

It's the same on Dodge trucks for the front hubs and I'm sure other vehicles. The bearings are proprietary and not available through parts houses or bearing stores. They are an odd OD/ID so in order to replace you have to buy the whole hub.


The clutch slave cylinder assy on a Dodge truck should be bought as an assembled unit and filled with fluid as it's almost impossible to bleed after it's installed as individual parts.

rjohnson442

Last time I got a rotor It didn't have the bearings with it and had to purchase the inner, outter and the seal all sepratly. For the price you'd think it was a complete setup.

RetroRanger

My ford truck fr bearings are integral to the hub and the abs sensor is as well, so bad bearing = new hub bearing sensor! last replacement I got an intermittent abs sensor that tripped the light with large temp cycles. Rather than try to replace my new set up w another new set up I just waited it out and when the 'lifetime' bearing went bad a couple years later I swapped itout as I purchased the lifetime warranty unit.

I'm ok w this particular design, as it's 3 bolts that hold the hub assy on, replacement takes me a 1/2 hour, previous versions had typical inner outer bearing seal setup that required setting the bearing preload like our older olds.

The downside is the first bearing assy I bought was $300 the three replacements have been free that's one side the other side the assy was$200 and the single so far replacement was free as well.

But yeah wherever possible I tend to service the built rather that replace an assy.

costpenn

I had a coat hanger hook break in my wife's 2007 Ford Expedition. Could not just buy one, had to get the whole set from Ford.

joe_padavano

I don't know anything about VWs, but most newer cars (ie, 1990s and up) use sealed hub/bearing units. This was done for several reasons, including packaging and lower assembly line costs. Packaging because for FWD vehicles (which includes 4WD trucks) the outer CV joint needs to be in line with the ball joint pivot axis. This forces the bearing outboard, so the integrated hub/bearing design just packages better. The alternative would be to force the wheel further outboard, which causes a problem with scrub radius and also increases loads on the bearings. Lower assembly line costs come from fewer parts to install. The integrated hub/bearing comes as an assembled unit, so it installs very easily with no bearing adjustment required.

My 99 Chevy 4WD crewcab dually has these same integrated hub/bearings on the front end. It's a PITA to change them and they are expensive to replace. Plus, the brake rotors are "trapped" behind the hub and the whole assembly needs to come out to replace or turn the rotors. This truck chews through front brakes, so after 250,000 miles I'm really good at changing them.

Killian_Mörder

VW bearings are normed and could fit other brands. For example, a 12 mm x 40 mm bearing will have a number engraved on the outer race which has a norm similar to SAE in the U.S.. Asian vehicles use the European norm, also. In fact, any of these items measuring according to the metric system should be normed, in this manner and all bearings measuring 12mm x 40 mm will bear the same number, regardless of who manufactured it.
It's logical that brake pads will be sold in sets. But, items like bearings should be available aftermarket, unless maybe you're going through a dealership.
These are the people who I deal with and will sell individual replacement bits:

http://www.schleer.de/

D. Yaros

Pray tell, what and the heck is a "scrub radius?"

Octania

if you have a bad bearing, it's time for a new vehicle!

joe_padavano

Draw a straight line between the upper and lower ball joints and extend it to the pavement. The scrub radius is the distance from the point where this line enters the pavement and the center of the tire contact patch. The longer that dimension, the more effort required to turn the wheels.

rustyroger

Well yes, I can get bearings from industrial suppliers, but in the UK motor trade fast turnaround is important.
Particularly as I maintain a number of cars used for cab work.


The local bearing supplier tries to help, but they don't carry much in the way of individual various sized bearings in stock, that's not how their business is geared to operate, and I have to take the old bearing to them.


So either I have to swallow my bile and replace a bunch of good parts, or I have a car taking up space and a customer going without their car for a while.


One thing about the old car hobby - you can work like a mechanic instead of just a fitter.


Roger.

Killian_Mörder

Don't you have an old car available for lending out to customers? Waiting for a car to get repaired should be nothing new. If they don't like waiting, they should expect to pay much more

rustyroger

Nope. A normal car is no use to a cab driver, it has to be a registered cab to be used for hire & reward.
And they want their car back asap.
To quote an urban myth from the days of old "B" movie producers, "I don't want it good, I want it on time!".


Roger.