99a4avantMN

So I have narrowed the groaning bad wheel bearing noise to the front right of the car.
It is not the rear, and the noise goes away when steering to the right.
But it doesn't have any bad movement in it with the wheel in the air.
Could it be something else?

forum_724

odd tire wear patterns can give false sounds of wheelbearings. does it increase sound when you go to the left? mine currently has a bad wheelbearing, and has all the descriptions you mentioned. best bet would be to replace it, or try to grease pack it to see it it temporarily stops it to be sure

turbo510

You won't feel any play; only when the driveshaft and brake disk are removed will you likely hear it sound "dry" when the hub is spun. New bearings are available from autohausaz.com for about $40 - $45.

Unless you have the necessary equipment, you'll probably need to remove the whole suspension casting and take it to an automotive machine shop for the bearing installation.

99a4avantMN

forgot to mention new tires.
thanks guys, its likely the bearing then.

Spinnetti

outer CV.....

had the same on my 99... replaced both axles, got a lot better, but still there... no play I can detect, but seems wheel bearings were part of the problem too (I also changed wheels/tires)... local shop is $200 per corner...

zeca98

Its the bearing.
Had the exact same condition on a 2001 A4.

old96A4

These A4's eat bearings, I've replaced 6 bad one's on my car since I've had it in 90,000 miles. Audi uses smaller bearings in the older A4's same as the Jetta's I think then they put bigger wheels on the car and the baerings don't hold up. bearings are $40 plus $60 to have a shop install it for you. Biggest problem is taking the spindle off. Not that big of a deal if you have the tools. I live in teh salt belt so its a little tough to get those off after a few years.

Pete@ECSTuning

Because you car gets quieter on the lane change would lead me to believe this is a standard bad bearing issue. For whats its worth, I put ruville bearings in my 12v about 60k miles ago and they are holding up great. I was in replacing an axle a couple months ago and checked for slop and damage, so far so good.

I need to do rears in another A4 and I'll be using ruville again. When properly pressed in, bearings should be good for quite some time. And that is coming from someone who drives... spirited.

We have a host of bearing options available here - including ruville if you want to order some up.

Peter Badore

For old96a4 is your A4 a 2.8l V6 or A4 1.8l turbo? The 1.8l turbos uses smaller front wheel bearings than the V6 engined cars.

1999Audi

Its the bearing. Had the exact same condition.
I had two blaupart.com bearings after 14k and 16k both are shot.

Now I buy from dealership Genuine OEM Bearing $70 including tax - they made in france, NOT in china.


I know its REAR wheel bearing but anyway - READ Here First: "I don't like the look of this Ruville rear wheel bearing"

https://www.audiworld.com/forums/sho...+Wheel+Bearing