Toledo TDi wheel bearing

[dingsdale]

I say wheel bearing but I'm not entirely sure.
Basically over the past few days, when i reach motorway speed (75~80mph) a whining noise starts. Its not very loud, but the pitch of it is very intrusive. It sounds like something resonating in the wind, but i dont think it is.
The pitch of it goes up with speed, and happens in gear or out. When i turn left it gets louder, and almost goes away when changing lanes to the right. Would i be right in suspecting a wheel bearing is on its way out? Is there anyway to confirm my suspicions, and find out which bearing it is?
Alternatively, does anyone have any suggestions as to what else it could be?
Cheers guys

 

[AndyC567]

Whats the mileage on your car mate ??

 

[Saul]

to check, get the wheels off the ground, hold top and bottom of each wheel and give it a wiggle, if it moves at all, bearing is on the way out (presuming all your wheel bolts are tight)

fyi, ive had a rear bearing replcaed under warranty on my 03 toledo 1.8t (20k miles)

 

[dingsdale]

93,000 miles on mine. I did think it might be gearbox related because of the pitch of it, and the thrust bearing occasionally has a squeek but the fact it goes away when i turn right indicates otherwise.....

 

[Muttley]

I had front wheel bearings go on my previous car, a Mk II Ibiza TDI, between 80 and 100 K miles. One way to test it is to find a quiet stretch of road or an empty car park, drive along at 20-30 mph and haul the steering from lock to lock. The faulty bearing will be noisy when under stress i.e. on the outside of the turn, so noise on turning left = offside bearing. Don't hit anything!

I found that the old-fashioned diagnostic test I was familiar with, jack up the car and wobble the wheels, didn't work - no perceptible wobble, even when the bearing was definitely shot. The other symptom was that the steering precision started to deteriorate, very slowly, but noticable over bumps. In my case, replacing the bearing cured the noise and returned the steering to normal, which confirmed the diagnosis. The bearings are twin-row rollers, sealed "for the service lifetime of the vehicle" and just don't wobble much, even when worn out, at least as far as I can tell.

 

[dingsdale]

I had front wheel bearings go on my previous car, a Mk II Ibiza TDI, between 80 and 100 K miles. One way to test it is to find a quiet stretch of road or an empty car park, drive along at 20-30 mph and haul the steering from lock to lock. The faulty bearing will be noisy when under stress i.e. on the outside of the turn, so noise on turning left = offside bearing. Don't hit anything!

Or similar stress turning smaller corners at high speed, like I'm noticing?

I found that the old-fashioned diagnostic test I was familiar with, jack up the car and wobble the wheels, didn't work - no perceptible wobble, even when the bearing was definitely shot. The other symptom was that the steering precision started to deteriorate, very slowly, but noticable over bumps. In my case, replacing the bearing cured the noise and returned the steering to normal, which confirmed the diagnosis. The bearings are twin-row rollers, sealed "for the service lifetime of the vehicle" and just don't wobble much, even when worn out, at least as far as I can tell.

Any idea how much a decent garage would charge for replacing a wheel bearing?
I thought I had cracked it yesterday, i was having a poke around underneath and noticed the backing plate of one of the front discs was touching the disc slightly, so i bent it back. Alas, no improvement though..

 

[Muttley]

I wrote
One way to test it is to find a quiet stretch of road or an empty car park, drive along at 20-30 mph and haul the steering from lock to lock. The faulty bearing will be noisy when under stress i.e. on the outside of the turn, so noise on turning left = offside bearing.
dingsdale wrote
Or similar stress turning smaller corners at high speed, like I'm noticing?

I guess it's possible, I can only really say for sure about what happened to my car. But noises louder on one lock than the other does sound like wheel bearings. It should gradually get worse, and you should begin to notice steering deteriorating as well.

Any idea how much a decent garage would charge for replacing a wheel bearing?

The bearing comes in at about £30 and it will take an hour or so to change it - you have to take the hub carrier off, press out the old bearing, press in the new one, then reassemble the suspension and steering and realign it. A difficult DIY job, much easier for a garage or dealer with the right tools and an alignment jig.

 

[dingsdale]

I think i might have sorted this one. I noticed while i was cleaning the car that the n/s front wheel arch liner was cracked and had popped out of the arch. I lined it up again as best i could and the noise went ......
Until i went over a speedbump, heard a pop and the noise came back.
Have ordered a new liner - hopefully that will sort the problem