wheel bearing replacement

[StaticNiche_Quattro]

(talking about rear bearings) He told me that its much harder to change a
bearing on a drive wheel than on a non-driven wheel.  When I went to pick my
car up it wasn't done.  He told me that he had forgotten it was a quattro
when he told me he'd have it done by the end of the day.  So I had to wait
over the weekend while my car sat on his lift the whole time.  (he doesn't
work on the weekend and he refuses to stay even a minute after 5)  This
slightly upset me, but not nearly as much as when I paid my bill and drove
my car away and heard the same exact sound as when I took it to him.  I took
it back and he test drove it and agrees that there is defiantly a bad
bearing.  He told me that the one he replaced was bad and so he didn't even
look for another bad one.  The sound is no less loud than before... I almost
think that the one he replaced wasn't bad at all.  My service records show
that the bearing he replaced had been replaced two years ago, while the
other rear bearing (the one I told him I suspected was bad) has never been
replaced as far as I know.  Anyway, I have to take the car back later to
have the other bearing replaced now.

I'm beginning to wonder if I should be looking for another mechanic.  The
mechanic at the only other vw/Audi garage in town insisted that my car was
essentially a FWD car and the rear wheels only got powered if the front
wheels slipped.  I don't have the guts to hand my car over to that guy.

I guess this post was mostly a rant. Sorry, it didn't start out that way.

Dan R.  (wishing he knew enough about cars to do his own repairs)
'85 4kq



----- Original Message -----
From: Huw Powell <audi at mediaone.net>
To: StaticNiche_Quattro <StaticNiche_Quattro at hotmail.com>
Cc: Quattro List <Quattro at audifans.com>; Calvin Krug <ckrug at laf.cioe.com>
Sent: Monday, July 16, 2001 6:37 PM
Subject: Re: wheel bearing replacement


>
>
> StaticNiche_Quattro wrote:
> >
> > I just had a wheel bearing replaced this week on my 4kq.  It took him 2
> > hours to do it.  He told me it wouldnt have taken nearly as long if it
wasnt
> > a quattro.  I dont know if 2 hours is typical, but thats what it took my
> > mechanic.
>
> interesting excuse.  i don't see what the other axles would have to do
> with it!  ie, changing a coupe GT front wheel bearing would be an
> identical job to changing a 4kq bearing.  Although 2 hours does not
> sound way out of line, a pro familiar with the car should be able to do
> it quicker I would think.  It looks like I had one done years ago for
> about 1.25-1.5 hours labor.
>
> Of course when I did it myself it took more like 5 hours...
>
> --
> Huw Powell
>
> http://www.humanspeakers.com/audi/
>
> http://www.humanthoughts.org/
>