Just wondering if anyone could tell me how unusual or expected it is to have to replace front wheel bearings on a 2006 A6 3.2Q with 51k miles? Seems pretty early for what the dealer says is a $550 repair for 1 wheel (front right)!

Thanks for any thoughts.

And yes, very annoying that I went off warranty about 1 month ago...

 

A few members on AW have reported similar problems. I have 65K miles and am still on the original bearings.

 

Not torqing the wheels properly can cause bearing issues, even running after-market cast wheels can be an problem.

Why such a high price for one bearing..are they replacing the whole spindle, did you really ruin a side that bad.

 

Not sure about the price, other than it was at the dealer getting an oil change when they told me about the bearings. They didn't leave me with a printed copy of the quote other than verbally telling me over $550. I'll call and try to find out more, seems like the repair kit is only ~$100 plus a couple hours labor should only be $300-$350. Right?

 

How do you know the front wheel bearing is bad? Was your car making any noise before you took it in for the oil change? At 51K mile this seldom happens. Take you car for a drive, but turn your heater blower off. Some times the noise is from the blower. The radiator fans may also make noise. The power steering pump makes noise. A defective alternator may make noise. There are many things on a car which may be making this noise, so the noise may be not be from a wheel bearing. The noise may be from the transmission, torque converter, differentials, propeller shaft or axles. If you were complaining about any noise when you took you car if for an oil change, then the dealer is very eager to sell you new wheel bearings.

 

$550 seems like a lot for a wheel bearing repair. I would take it to an independent shop that you trust and ask them to check it and do the job, if necessary. It should only take a minute on a lift to check it out. I'll bet you will walk away for less than $300.

 

In my 00 a6, 2 wheel bearings were replaced under the original factory warranty. But since then, I now have 160k miles and 1 of my rears is starting to make noise.

 

Original wheel bearings are fine at 160k miles. I just had the car in for an oil change and check out at my local indie. That seems high for just bearings unless they include the spindle. Does anyone know if these bearings can be re-packed or are they sealed?

 

My right front also went out right around 57,000 miles. The left front has 141,000 and is still going strong, so it's the luck of the draw on these. With an '06, it's a bolt in unit, but you have to press the hub out and back in, so unless you have a press, you have to take it to a shop. Still, you should be able to take the bearing out, take the assembly to a shop, have them switch the hub to the new bearing for $20 - $40, thereby beating the $550 estimate all to hell!

Good luck,

Bob

 

Thanks everyone for the feedback. I'm going to cancel my appointment at the dealer and call a couple local places that work on Audis for a second opinion/estimate. I have never taken my car anywhere but the dealer since it's been on warranty since I bought it, I hope I can find a good place that I can trust (which I can't say for the dealer in my area, who would often find things to charge me for each time I brought it in for scheduled maintenance).

I do think it's the bearing because it's a distinctive noise coming from the front right, although at first I thought it was just my tires were not balanced.