Florida8L

I've owned mainly US cars/trucks until now and comparing this writeup and experience replacing about 15 GM/FD/CC bearings: 1. This is a PITA compared to GM cars and trucks 2. must be made to tighter tolerances on smoother roads compared to what the US offers 3. The german wheel bearings have about the same or shorter life. 4. maybe this is a difference between wide roller and 2 all bearings. 5. the big 3 anticipate the need to swap and require no press.

bbgun

Thanks for the excellent write-up Mark! Really appreciate it, I was helping a friend of mine with a rear wheel bearing change on his '05 A4. Caliper frame bolts were rusted so bad had to cut the heads off with a gas axe. The bearings didn't require pressing though, tapped them out with a wooden drift. Installation of the new bearing was just as easy. My problem came about when torqueing up the bearing retaining bolt. As soon as you put 80 ft-lbs of torque on the bearing you can no longer turn it, didn't even bother trying to get the 180 deg turn after assembly. Had it off and on again twice, cleaning in-between attempts and applying a fresh coat of grease to aid installation with the exact same results. As soon as the torque is applied to the bolt the bearing will not turn. I'm starting to think it might be the wrong bearing. Am I missing something?
Thanks for any help anyone can offer.

Casey Key

did you get it figured out?

bbgun