i have a bad front right wheel bearing and i have been driving the car for the past 2-3 week, prob150 miles, the noise hasnt gotten any worse from when i first noticed it, i just ordered the part, i was wondering if anybody esle had the same problem and has any idea of how safe it is to drive. i just need it to last me 3 more days i drive to school every day ~30miles
thank you

 

I would say your fine, but don't quote me on that. Just get it replaced ASAP. Never know when it might blow up.

 

If it's not screaming like a banshee you should be fine. Mmmm another tasty wheel bearing for the A4. Mmmmmm. . They eat them up. My right rear is making a noise usually though when its cold out so...

 

Yup had same noise no problem driving on it i drove on mine for a long time had no money so no choice but all it is just annoying.

 

You 'll be fine for a few days... no problem. Just don't drive to Florida or something...

 

yeah on the '98 i have it just started making noise on the right rear. what is up with the wheel bearing going out? that should last forever. luckily I have 2 cars so I don't need to drive this one (also have 03 A4).

 

absolutely no such thing as an everlasting wheel bearing. they last for a while but they won't last forever. just replace any that are making noise. i drove mine on 2 bad ones for 3 months but don't take me up on my words because each mechanical part is a little different so yours could last longer or maybe not. if you have a front and a rear making noise, i'd recommend doing all 4 because the rest shouldn't be that far apart from dying

 

I put probably about 1200 miles on mine before I had time to replace it. I was really noisy by the end but the bearing wasn't completely destroyed yet, so you'll be fine.

 

well my friend has a 1998 subaru driven everywhere (has 290,000 miles, not km, yes miles) and has NEVER needed a bearing change. so there might be a such thing as an everlasting bearing.

 

I just jacked up the rear of my A4 for a driver's rear wheel bearing (finally!). I've been ignoring the noise and it's been bad for way too long for me to admit. I've never seen an Audi bearing this sloppy, it sounded like I was being chased by a commercial jet all the time. After removing the LR wheel carrier, I decided to check the RR. It's bad too, but not nearly as sloppy. If I had been on the road just a few more miles, I would've ended up needing a WSS, wheel carrier, hub, and probably an axle. That could cost over $1000 in new parts if it failed completely, plus a tow, plus labor if you don't repair it yourself.

Get them done, ASAP. If your car has original bearings, it won't hurt to do both on one axle at the same time. They often wear out at the same time. Additionally, if you want to save some serious cash, pull the spindles yourself and have a shop press in new bearings. If you go to a dealer or Audi specialist, wheel bearings cost $350-390 with labor. The bearings themselves are $75 or so over the Audi parts counter. If you buy the bearing from the dealer, they likely will not charge you to press the new bearing in, and you've saved about $300 per replaced bearing in labor (2.5 hrs).