bad wheel bearing?

[isham-research.freeserve.co.uk at pop.pol.net.uk]

> Last year my URQ started making a nasty grinding noise about 3 miles from
> home. I drove slowly home and found a bad driver side front wheel bearing.
> The grinding was the first indication anything was amiss. It was bad enough I
> had to replace the hub. I'm very conscious of mechanical noises and
> vibrations, so I was really surprised by the severity of the failure.

Me too.  I went to Ingolstadt and back with a bearing so loud you could
barely hear the stereo and I had to slow down to take phone calls.

When I finally got the bearing out, you could hear the balls falling
across the top of the inner race as you rotated the assembly.  Perhaps
only one race was failing.

--
 Phil Payne
 UK Audi quattro Owners Club
 http://www.isham-research.freeserve.co.uk/quattro
 Phone +44 7785 302803   Fax: +44 7785 309674