Hey guys,

I figure this is a long shot but I thought I'd ask. So I bought a wheel bearing for my rear wheel, came with a new bolt as well. First off, apparently the shop I called wants to charge me about 40 bucks to press the bearing in if I bring in the bearing and hub. I'm not sure if that's right or not. But I had heard not too long ago about a trick that sometimes works for installing bearings without using a press. It involves tossing the bearing in the freezer for a while, and then when you take it out, it should go into place fairly easy. Anyone heard of this or had any experience?

Also, my shop manual says Audi recommends replacing the driveaxe/hub bolt, the upper control arm-to-rear knuckle nut, and the track bar-to-rear knuckle nut. Anyone know how imperative this actually is? Do shops do this every time as well?

 

40 bucks probably is not too far off the mark, especially if you have not done business with them before. I would suggest having it pressed in. You only have one shot with the freezer method. You are relying on the bearing shrinking enough to overcome the interference fit. If you do not have good alignment when installing, it will get stuck part way in and then you will have a mess.

 

Agreed - press it in. It takes a multi-ton press to get it in there, so freezing it may not shrink it up enough to get it in there.