Premature Wheel Bearing Failure - Please Chime-In

[A665]

I understand that premature wheel bearing failures are somewhat common on several Audi generations/models. I'm very curious about how many owners experience these failures on cars with under 100k miles.

I just had the front passenger-side wheel bearing replaced on my 2013 A6 with only 46,500 miles. The noise/vibration issue is greatly reduced but not entirely eliminated. My indy mechanic warned me as I picked up the car that the driver-side bearing was making a little noise but he didn't necessarily recommend immediate replacement. Who knows how long it will be before that bearing worsens significantly; meanwhile, it's not fun to pay that money for one bearing and then be faced with more of the same in the near future.

Separately, I'm curious as to whether any owners have succeeded with claims to AOA when past the standard warranty. At six years old, my car is beyond the warranty but the miles are so relatively low that I'm thinking of pursuing AOA for relief. Anyone succeeded in this effort with a similar scenario?

Please chime-in with your experience.

[p3u]

Are you the original owner?

[Schumi1978]

I just had my front passenger wheel bearing replaced this past Monday under warranty. 2017 S6 with just under 32,000 Km. The winding noise the faulty bearing produced was completely eliminated.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Riker]

Have you considered inspecting your wheel/tires for imbalance? Some shops don't calibrate their equipment regularly, so it is possible to have a situation where you paid for a balance and did not receive the fully quality that you paid for. I'd recommend a road force balance. Balance alone won't kill bearings instantly, but it will certainly reducing their operating lifetime. Do you have video examples of the issue?

No experience with AoA claims.

[gk1]

Yes, nfortunately wheel bearings have been a weak spot on Audi's for many many years. Sorry. Sometimes realted to where you live/drive. Sunny Cali vs. salted snow belt vs. lunar rhegolith.
Almost to the point of being a maintenance item. They usually last long enough to make it past the warranty period as you see.
AoA is not interested...if you are out of warranty on either time or mileage. Honestly your best move would be if you have a good relationship with your dealer to see if they can offer goodwill. They won't cover it completely but you can sometimes get 50-75% goodwill which helps.
Out of curiosity what did you shop charge for one front wheel bearing parts & labor?
The OE part alone is over $200 but FCP has it for $80 and lifetime warranty.

[A665]

Are you the original owner?

I am not. Bought the car in mid-October from a local Audi dealer. One owner, no accidents, clean as a whistle inside & out.

[A665]

Have you considered inspecting your wheel/tires for imbalance? Some shops don't calibrate their equipment regularly, so it is possible to have a situation where you paid for a balance and did not receive the fully quality that you paid for. I'd recommend a road force balance. Balance alone won't kill bearings instantly, but it will certainly reducing their operating lifetime. Do you have video examples of the issue?

No experience with AoA claims.

Prior to the wheel bearing replacement, I replaced all tires and had an alignment done.

- - - Updated - - -

Out of curiosity what did you shop charge for one front wheel bearing parts & labor?

$570 out the door.

[p3u]

I am not. Bought the car in mid-October from a local Audi dealer. One owner, no accidents, clean as a whistle inside & out.

AOA won't do anything for you.

[davepjr71]

Prior to the wheel bearing replacement, I replaced all tires and had an alignment done.

- - - Updated - - -



$570 out the door.

All of the following is based on a conversation with an Indy shop. As I was told. One of the biggest reason that Audi has problems is due to rim width. Even a 9" rim is considered a wide rim. The wider the rim the more force is placed on the wheel bearings and that is why the cars with the 20" wheels have issues. A good example of how this can be proven is looking at a stock Nissan Titan to any lifted with bigger tire Titan. The stock rarely, if ever, has bearing issues but as soon as it is modified the issues start. This would be no different than going from the 245/45/18 x 8" rims that Audi came with to the 20" package with the 265/35/20 x 9".

As far as alignment goes: What alignment was done? My front is "within alignment" yet I have outside tire wear. The alignment must be done in relation to your tires that you have not the 'within range" value and most shops don't have that sort of alignment tool even dealerships. My Indy shop said you are dealing with probably $200 for a front end alignment do be done properly.

[Valpo A7]

I wonder if that is my issue. Seems the front left is noisy at 75 - 80 MPH. Above or below it is not noisy but regardless of speed it is still a smooth ride.

[A665]

All of the following is based on a conversation with an Indy shop. As I was told. One of the biggest reason that Audi has problems is due to rim width. Even a 9" rim is considered a wide rim. The wider the rim the more force is placed on the wheel bearings and that is why the cars with the 20" wheels have issues. A good example of how this can be proven is looking at a stock Nissan Titan to any lifted with bigger tire Titan. The stock rarely, if ever, has bearing issues but as soon as it is modified the issues start. This would be no different than going from the 245/45/18 x 8" rims that Audi came with to the 20" package with the 265/35/20 x 9".

As far as alignment goes: What alignment was done? My front is "within alignment" yet I have outside tire wear. The alignment must be done in relation to your tires that you have not the 'within range" value and most shops don't have that sort of alignment tool even dealerships. My Indy shop said you are dealing with probably $200 for a front end alignment do be done properly.

Hard to believe Audi would offer wheel/suspension configurations which would lead directly to wheel bearing failure.

I don't believe my experience is not caused by alignment at all. I have all records of prior owner's maintenance, repairs and inspections. Wheel bearings are not mentioned. The car drove like a silken bullet early on, then I had a four-wheel alignment done at my local indy when they mounted & balanced the tires. They specialize in European cars----ride is definitely 'softer' with the new tires but the fundamental vibration/noise issue remained after the alignment. Passenger side bearing had definitely failed, as they showed it to me after it had been removed.

[Schumi1978]

I wonder if that is my issue. Seems the front left is noisy at 75 - 80 MPH. Above or below it is not noisy but regardless of speed it is still a smooth ride.

My bearing issue did not impact the driveability of the car. No vibration, etc. Just the winding noise it produced where the sound became higher pitched relative to an increase in driving speed. Although the sound only became noticeable starting around 50 Km/h and above.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[gdawg'05a4]

The passenger front wheel bearing was replaced at 48k miles a few months ago on our '14. CPO covered it minus the $85 deductible. The wheel bearings seem to be a common item on the C7s around 50k miles. Out of all the models I've had, the A6 is the first to have a wheel bearing go bad.

[A665]

Thanks to those who have shared their personal experience with premature failures.

Every make & model of vehicle has its quirks and weak points. I suppose we're lucky if we have a modern car with only very minor issues that are also inexpensive to address. Annoying that a weak point on the C7 A6 is the wheel bearings, as they are not a quick & easy item to address DIY and they're not cheap to address via a shop. Unfortunate.

However, given the circumstances in my case, I'm going to remain as positive as I can, bite the bullet, and manage the repair expenses as best I can. After all, everything else on the car is just about perfect (for now), and I got a great deal on the purchase price. Am I rationalizing? You bet! lol

[deschet13]

I bought my car at 40,000 miles CPO. At around 80,000 miles my passenger rear started going so I went ahead and replaced all 4 thinking that as soon as I replaced the rear the front wouldn't be too far behind them and didn't want to have to go through another fix. I paid $900 (I brought all the parts) at an indy shop which also included an alignment and replacing my rotors and brake pads. Those were done for free because they were all coming off anyways due to the bearings.

[A665]

I bought my car at 40,000 miles CPO. At around 80,000 miles my passenger rear started going so I went ahead and replaced all 4 thinking that as soon as I replaced the rear the front wouldn't be too far behind them and didn't want to have to go through another fix. I paid $900 (I brought all the parts) at an indy shop which also included an alignment and replacing my rotors and brake pads. Those were done for free because they were all coming off anyways due to the bearings.

That sounds like a great way to address the issue while managing the overall expense. Excellent.

[Stazi]

All it can take is one really bad hit from a pothole to brinell the bearing and then it's downhill from there.

[PeytonBrandt]

After reading this thread, I’m confident my passenger side wheel bearing is also at the end of its life. At first, I didn’t think it was the bearing since my ‘15 S7 only has 30k miles, but now that I know Audi’s are known for this, I’m going to start scheduling an appointment to have it replaced.

Should I look into having the driver’s side done at the same time? I’d imagine it won’t be long before that one is toast, too.


Sent from my iPhone using Audizine

[A665]

After reading this thread, I’m confident my passenger side wheel bearing is also at the end of its life. At first, I didn’t think it was the bearing since my ‘15 S7 only has 30k miles, but now that I know Audi’s are known for this, I’m going to start scheduling an appointment to have it replaced.

Should I look into having the driver’s side done at the same time? I’d imagine it won’t be long before that one is toast, too.


Sent from my iPhone using Audizine

In my research and (limited) personal experience, there is not necessarily a correlation between one bearing failing and the other on the same axle failing at or near the same time.

[PeytonBrandt]

In my research and (limited) personal experience, there is not necessarily a correlation between one bearing failing and the other on the same axle failing at or near the same time.

Thanks for your input.

I’ll probably just have both done anyway. The less time I am without my baby, the better haha. Plus, I’d rather be proactive than reactive with this type of stuff.


Sent from my iPhone using Audizine

[deschet13]

Thanks for your input.

I’ll probably just have both done anyway. The less time I am without my baby, the better haha. Plus, I’d rather be proactive than reactive with this type of stuff.


Sent from my iPhone using Audizine

Once you're out of warranty, look into buying your parts from places like FCP Euro (no affialiation). Reason being, the next time one of my bearings goes out I buy a new one from them, pay to have the bearing replaced, ship back the bad bearing to them, and then they give me my money back for the bearing. They do that for ALL their parts they sell. Even things that routinely need to be replaced like brake pads, etc.

[SleekS7]

Had both front bearings replaced on my S7 at 35K miles. Stock wheels and tires in sunny south Cali.

[PeytonBrandt]

Once you're out of warranty, look into buying your parts from places like FCP Euro (no affialiation). Reason being, the next time one of my bearings goes out I buy a new one from them, pay to have the bearing replaced, ship back the bad bearing to them, and then they give me my money back for the bearing. They do that for ALL their parts they sell. Even things that routinely need to be replaced like brake pads, etc.

I will certainly look into that - thank you! Do you know if the aftermarket “FAG” brand is better/worse/indifferent than the genuine wheel bearing?


Sent from my iPhone using Audizine

[TexasMyke]

Just had my wheel bearing and hub assembly replaced. Cost $800 because the hub assembly had to come from the dealership, would’ve been about $500. Car has $83k. Audi Dealership in OKC wanted $1,300.

[A665]

UPDATE:

Had front driver-side wheel bearing replaced. That improved the results but did not completely eliminate the noise issues, especially at speeds of 55-70mph. Mechanic ruled-out rear bearings, as they're dead silent.
We suspected tires, which are brand new Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 3. Rechecked balance on Road Force machine. All good. he aligned all wheels with the new tire install.
He had access to another Audi with no noise/vibration issues so he swapped the wheels and, lo and behold, the noise issues disappeared. He believes one or more of my tires are bad. We're both surprised, as they're brand new Michelins. He and his supplier have agreed to warranty them for no-charge replacement.

Replacement tires are scheduled to be installed late this week. Will advise.

[ItsLarryG]

I had an on-ramp I used daily that was under construction for a month or two and think that ended up messing my tires up. Had the same issue and replaced the front pass wheel bearing to no avail. The road surface was textured to accept new asphalt so I assume feathered the tires. New tires solved it.

Good luck.

[A665]

UPDATE: Shop replaced the new tires with another new set of same tires, Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 3. Condition/noise remains. Neither the shop nor their supplier has experienced this before.

We're going to try a set of another make/model of tire.

[A665]

UPDATE:
Visited another shop for a second opinion on the noise issues. After driving with tech for 15 minutes, where we both agreed that there were noises that seem to be wheel bearing related, then having car on lift and observing them listen & diagnose at all four wheels and the driveline, I remained disappointed that "noise" could be heard but not necessarily pinpointed in terms of any firm conclusions on specific location or source.

Surprisingly, however, once I got back in the car and began driving, the prior noises were almost completely gone. Very odd. It's almost as if unloading the suspension caused the new bearings to settle properly or something. No matter, I'm not going to look a gift horse in the mouth right now. I'm satisfied unless issues return.

[deschet13]

I will certainly look into that - thank you! Do you know if the aftermarket “FAG” brand is better/worse/indifferent than the genuine wheel bearing?


Sent from my iPhone using Audizine

I bought the "***" bearings because that's what my indie shop would have put on anyways. Those are the only ones they purchase to put on all their VWs & Audis. No clue why. That's just what they do.