I know this thread is two years old but can I ask a question without offending anyone? Why on earth would anyone replace a bearing that only lasted 100k miles with the same brand of bearing? This is the day of 200k mile vehicles. I have a ford truck 4WD truck that the preferred wheel bearing is Timken! People get way too nuts with OEM stuff. I know these are the parts that all the durability testing is done with but sometimes other makers can do just as well. Just don't buy some $20 bearing off ebay!
Wheel Bearings - OEM vs Duralast vs Timken
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Submissions are now being taken for the AUGUST E46 OF THE MONTH contest
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YMMV. A top shelf bearing may last only 100k miles or 200k miles or more depending on driving conditions, environment, particular way the bearing was manufactured at the time, etc. Bottom line is install the best bearings you can. In this case it's any of the OEM manufacturers. Which reminds me i still need to replace the rest of my 3 bearings. hope those things don't go "bad" sitting in my closet.
I just made a big boo-boo. I replaced a lower control arm on the front of my 01 325xi back in January. My daughter was driving home last night and told me at 9 PM that there was something wrong so it shook over 45 MPH. I checked it out and sure enough it did. The front bolts had come loose on lower arm I installed. I now fear that this violent shaking has caused my 100k on the edge of life wheel bearings to fail. I switched tires on the right first with no improvement. Now I hope the bearing will stay together until I gather all the parts and tools I need to change it. The car is driven by a 20 year old daughter that can't seem to sit still. ( College, work, boyfriend, volunteer work etc )
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True enough, the tapered roller bearings could theoretically last forever, provided they are correctly installed. When the grease seals fail and allow grease to leak out and contaminants into the bearing, this spells premature failure for the bearing. Those living in the rust belt with vast annual fluctuations in temperature will see accelerated wear of the seals and, therefore, bearing failure. A seized brake caliper can also cook the seals and spell an early doom for wheel bearings. Whenever possible, I always replace the inboard seals when replacing half shafts -- no such luck with the sealed bearings on the e46.
If there's no play in the wheel, you should be fine for a little while. Good luck.
Ahahaha :lmao:
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I've got 234K on the original OEM bearings.
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That post predates your existence here. GoingNuts was quite frustrating! Not sure if you've ever had the "pleasure" of "meeting' him :facepalm:
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:rofl: That guy was certifiably insane, and he just loved MDF.
Re:bearings - I'm at about 65k on the Timken now, all is well :thumbup:
ugggh! I switched to summer tires and left the driver side tires loose. I heard the noise on the test drive and switched the passenger side tires front to rear. (recall the lower right front control arm had come loose). My daughter came walking in the house saturday with a lug bolt in her hand. OMG I almost wrecked my 325xi with my daughter in it! I tightened them and when the weather is better and I no longer have this killer sinus cold I will check to see how bad I messed up the back of the wheels. I have new bearings on the way but I will have time to put them in. Ended up with *** bearings. The best deal out there. thanks!
Just an F.Y.I. for those interested,
you can get Timken bearings for $45 apiece, minus 15% using code SAVEBIG @ AutoZone:
http://www.autozone.com/autozone/parts/Wheel-Bearing-Hub-Assembly-Front/_/N-6o2ny?filterByKeyWord=513125&fromString=search&isSearchByPartNumber=true
you can get Timken bearings for $45 apiece, minus 15% using code SAVEBIG @ AutoZone:
http://www.autozone.com/autozone/parts/Wheel-Bearing-Hub-Assembly-Front/_/N-6o2ny?filterByKeyWord=513125&fromString=search&isSearchByPartNumber=true
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Old school thread bump. Just got mine from AutoZone yesterday for $47.99 each.
Look and feel high quality, can't tell a difference between these and OEM. Timken is publicly traded and I feel like I can trust them. Either way, anything is going to be better than my current bearings. They're not going to wear out again before I sell my car in the future. That's all I care about.
Look and feel high quality, can't tell a difference between these and OEM. Timken is publicly traded and I feel like I can trust them. Either way, anything is going to be better than my current bearings. They're not going to wear out again before I sell my car in the future. That's all I care about.
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damaging the ABS-sensor when replacing bearing
Hi, as far as I can imagine is that it could be damaged then you remove the drive shaft because the ABS-ring is mounted on the drive shaft and the sensor is pretty close to it, or?
I'll stick with bearings from the company that is the only one that has been able to meet U.S Navy spec for use in their nuclear attack subs for the last 30 years. No outsourcing like Timken etc, all made in house. Mentioned once in this thread but well known to those who appreciate quality over cost.
Are you speaking about the duramaxs? Cause I'm pretty sure the stuff they produce for military contracts orders are manufactured a bit better than their consumer grade hardware.
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Where do you order these timken wheel bearings from ? I don't see that brand online anywhere .
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