Wheel Bearing Problems VW Golf 6?

Hi everyone,

We bought a used Golf 6 (with 250,000 km on the odometer), and during the test drive, we discovered that the wheel bearing was defective. This had been replaced by the previous owner before the purchase, but it only lasted for about 2,000 km.

I assumed there was an error made by the previous owner during a wheel bearing replacement, so I ordered a new wheel bearing from Febi at Lott. (https://www.lott.de/de/i686738/radlagersatz/febi-bilstein-radlagersatz-xz347340).
As a non-expert, I didn't notice any obvious signs of counterfeiting. The installation is carried out according to Volkswagen specifications (in particular, without any load on the wheel and with the correct torque plus angle).

After the exchange, the car was completely silent.

The wheel bearing on the front right side is now making a noticeable noise again, after about another 3,000 kilometers.

I find it hard to believe that both the previous owner and I bought products from the same company. That's why I'm asking the community this question:
Is there another defect that could cause the wheel bearing to fail so quickly (but otherwise appear normal)?

Regards,
Sure.

Here is the translation of the text from German to English:

"Guste" means "gust" in English. It can also be used as a verb, meaning "to gust."

Hi Guste,
I can only think of two possibilities: either it's defective or there was a manufacturing error.
The correspondence between wheel bearings and vehicle models was clear? Then it seems there are two different 12-point screws with significantly different torque specifications.
The same defect recurring after a short period of operation is concerning.
Are you sure about the wheel bearing noise? It might be coming from the driveshaft, or perhaps a worn brake disc or an ABS sensor that's rubbing.
hg
Herbert.

Herbert wrote:

I can only think of two possibilities: defective material or a manufacturing error.

Okay. Thank you for your assessment. I haven't thought of anything else so far either.

Herbert wrote:

Was the correspondence between wheel bearings and vehicle

clear? Then it seems there are two different 12-point screws with significantly different torque specifications.

Herbert wrote:

It appears that the vehicle only uses one type of wheel bearing (with three mounting screws on the suspension side). However, I understand that the bearing can be attached to the drive shaft with different types of screws (either with or without serrations). The new screw (and therefore the corresponding torque) for the new wheel bearing was clearly identified as "without serrations." Accordingly, the high torque value (200 Nm) and the large angle (180°) had to be used.

Are you sure about the wheel bearing noise? It's possible that the noise is coming from the drive shaft, or from a worn brake disc, or a faulty ABS sensor.}
No, I'm not sure.
At least at low speeds, there is no grinding noise (when listening from outside). Instead, it's more of a rumbling sound that becomes audible somewhere between 60-80 km/h. And it's the same sound as before. It's louder in left turns and when braking, which suggests a problem with the front right wheel bearing. Acoustically, I would also locate the noise to the front right.
The seemingly identical noise disappeared after the wheel bearing replacement last time, but it reappeared after about 3,000 km (and is now gradually getting louder). Therefore, I suspect it's related to the wheel bearing.

I have to admit: I've never heard a faulty driveshaft myself, so I wouldn't be able to reliably distinguish it from a wheel bearing. Shouldn't it sound noticeably different depending on whether the car is accelerating (loud) or idling (quiet)?

Regards,
Sure.

Here is the translation of the text from German to English:

"Guste" means "gust" in English. It can also be used as a verb, meaning "to gust."

Hi there,
I had inquired about the screws because the tightening torque specified for the fin screw seemed very low to me (source: internet-ELSE, which I only used as a reference).
It's peculiar that for our Golf 7, the RLF (presumably a technical manual or database) specifies tightening torques of 200Nm + 180° (in the 2018 edition) and then 200Nm + 90° (in the 2023 edition).
I still remember the grinding, humming noise from the outer wheel of the original Polo. In the Audi 80, it was just a clunking sound when braking.
Basically, everything points to a bearing failure, except for the low mileage. I would use an original bearing and consult the latest repair manual for the correct torque specifications; even better, check the vehicle-specific repair instructions online. There might also be a technical service bulletin (TPI) available.
hg
Herbert.

Hi!

Please double-check the torque specification.

I don't know the answer right now because I'm not currently working in that industry.
and he had even less to do with the new cars anyway.

But 200 Nm plus 180 degrees seems like too much to me, based on my gut feeling.
That's quite intense.
I highly doubt that.

There are also errors in the repair manuals.
I know this from my own experience. Also, there are always changes happening. These things are usually planned and developed at a desk and on a computer.
And if there are any problems, they will be recalculated and adjusted accordingly.
I once attended a workshop training session offered by SKF, and they said something like that.
That's why there are always changes happening.

There are also mechanics who don't care about such requirements or aren't even aware of them.
They tighten it "until it's secure."
Apparently, this method has often worked well.
I wasn't one of those people, but I know about it.

Quote:

We bought a used Golf 6 (with 250,000 km) where the wheel bearing was defective during the test drive. This was replaced by the previous owner before the purchase, but it only lasted about 2,000 km.

...as Herbert already wrote,... high-quality material is essential.

The company with the red boxes has been on my "do not buy" list for years.

Sometimes, even well-known manufacturers are included, but you only realize that when you unpack the items.

Overall, I learned a lot of valuable lessons there.

Everything else has already been written.

Hi!
I actually find the whole thing very unusual.

Back then, I used to change hundreds of wheel bearings at my workshop.

I am not currently aware of any such problems.

An exception was once Renault.
Specifically, the Renault Clio and R 19 models produced from around 1992 onwards.
In some cars, the wheel bearings would fail every two years, while in others, they lasted indefinitely.

The decision was finally made at the workshop evening:
I specifically asked about the Renault issues.

Back then, Renault was experiencing a boom; they produced visually appealing cars for the time, and they weren't expensive either.
and they have sold particularly well in eastern Germany.


"Renault itself could no longer keep up with the production demands."
and partially purchased the axle housings from a supplier.

The supplier used some material that wasn't suitable for the casting process.
"As a result, the axle housings have become deformed."
This resulted in the bore, where the wheel bearing is located, becoming slightly out of round.
As a result, the wheel bearing was also compressed, very slightly of course, but it was enough to cause constant problems.

At that time, even the manufacturer didn't know which axle housing had been installed, they just used whatever was available at the top of the pile. And nothing was documented.

When repeated problems occurred, the authorized workshop sometimes had to file down some parts and then sent a letter about it to France.
They performed a material analysis there.
And after a few weeks, the reply finally arrived.
It's the poor quality material from the supplier.
Please install new axle housings.
I no longer remember the extent of the warranty or guarantee that applied at the time.

"Back then, I also had a lot of customers who owned Renault cars."
When I realized that,
or
Once I knew that,
or
After I found out about that,
I've seen that before on old, worn-out wheel bearings.
They had bare spots where they used to be firmly attached.
and some areas that are not very clean.
where things weren't quite certain yet.

I don't know if VW has declined to that level now.

Sure, I've replaced plenty of Volkswagen wheel bearings too.
But maybe after about 10 years, or 120,000 kilometers.
However, they reliably functioned for the next few years.

Often the sealing was faulty, so there was often rust, dirt, and water in the bearing. And there was no more grease.
And also overload, or poor quality materials.
There were also what appeared to be small "indentations" or "depressions" in the trajectories of the projectiles.

Hi there,
This unusual recurrence of the damage is also striking to me. Especially since the bearing housing unit is simply inserted into the wheel hub and fastened with screws on the flange. There's no pressing involved anymore.
Is everything alright with the wheel bearing housing, or is something misaligned, or is the wheel bearing unit getting stuck?
What is the mileage?
hg
Herbert.

Hi!

I can also bring this from the SKF workshop evening:

Even back then, maybe 15 years ago, it was already starting to become common for bicycle wheel bearings to be attached directly to the axle using screws within their own housing.
Which naturally also made repairs more expensive.

I then specifically asked why that was the case.

The initial response was a diagram displayed using the projector.
Wheel bearing failures after a certain number of kilometers.

Initially, there was no change from 0 km. After 10,000 km, there was a slight upward trend, then nothing again, and starting at 120,000 km, it slowly started to increase.

He then said that the crack appearing at 10,000 km was due to manufacturing defects.
This was the time when Volkswagen still used simple tapered roller bearings with a crown retainer and a locking pin in some rear axles.
And the wheel bearings for the front axle were pressed in at the workshop.
He then said that every butcher or baker who had become unemployed was now working on an assembly line.
and that doesn't always work out as planned.

Eventually, we reached an agreement with the manufacturers to avoid complaints.
that the wheel bearings are manufactured in their own housings by the bearing manufacturer, using dedicated personnel with proper quality assurance measures.
Normally, this should work perfectly, even with supplier parts or replacement parts from the open market.

So, I also can't explain the problem here...

Hi,

I once bought four wheel bearings for my Audi A3 for my wife's car. One was used during an accident repair, and none of them are defective. The replacement wheel bearing has been running for thousands of kilometers since then.

I can tell you if any of the spare wheel bearings fit your vehicle if you provide the part number.

Best regards, Rainer.

I was offline for a few days and am only just getting around to reading your messages now. Thank you for the additional tips and your thoughts.

Steffen G wrote:

Please double-check the torque specification. (...) But 200 Nm + 180°, that seems like too much to me based on my gut feeling.

That's a great tip!

My torque specifications are from an older version of the Volkswagen repair program (as of 2017). I will definitely contact the online version and check it there.

Regarding the wheel bearing part number, I'm contacting you, Rainer. And if this doesn't work out, then I will either buy an SKF part from Autodoc or purchase it directly from Volkswagen.

And then, when I'm doing the renovation, I'll pay attention to see if I can tell if anything seems off. (However, I'm still not sure how to do that.)

Best regards,
Sure.

Here is the translation of the text from German to English:

"Guste" means "gust" in English. It can also be used as a verb, meaning "to gust."