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      06-10-2014, 08:33 PM   #1
joekitch
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Rear wheel bearing, how citical?

so, i don't own an m3, but considering how little (if any) information there is about e9x wheel bearings, might as well make a thread here since i believe all e9x have the exact same bearings..

so, mine right rear wheel is making the classic "whop whop" noise at speed, and the sound has been steadily increasing over the past few days as i drive to and from work.
there is NO lateral play in the wheel...yet...just the noise

is it feasible to attempt a DIY? why are there literally zero diy guides or pictorials or videos about how to do this yourself on an e9x? so they fail super rarely or something? how long can i roll on this thing before it gets really bad?

a shop i trust greatly has agreed to do it for $500 in parts and labor, which is reasonable considering when i asked a dealer they quote over $1000 for it!, but is that even necessary?

been looking forward to something to DIY fix, and the first real problem doesnt seem to have a diy fix
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      06-10-2014, 08:54 PM   #2
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If there is no lateral wiggle, how can you be sure it's the wheel bearing?
IMHO, all wheel bearings are about the same in principle. Should be an easy enough swap if you have the tools and parts and have mechanical skills. If not, the price your shop is charging is probably a fair price.

How many miles on your xi and have you checked E90post?
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      06-10-2014, 09:10 PM   #3
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      06-10-2014, 10:19 PM   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BzsBimmer View Post
If there is no lateral wiggle, how can you be sure it's the wheel bearing?
IMHO, all wheel bearings are about the same in principle. Should be an easy enough swap if you have the tools and parts and have mechanical skills. If not, the price your shop is charging is probably a fair price.

How many miles on your xi and have you checked E90post?
82,000 miles, and yes i've checked on e90 post, they pretty much all suggested it was the wheel bearing based on the video i posted (which i didnt post here since i've already confirmed its the wheel bearing), and when i took the car for a quick one hour inspection by a nearby indie dealer, he spun the wheel once and immediately said "yup, that's the wheel bearing"
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      06-10-2014, 10:21 PM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Petros View Post
unfortunately that's for the e46, which has a very different setup than the e9x wheel bearing as far as i know. there's a youtube video of a guy showing off his "bmw special tool" for pressing e9x bearings and its very specific in its size and shape since the bearings are easy to install wrong.

also that sound that plays at the beginning of the video? that is EXACTLY the same sound i'm hearing in my e91 at speed.
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      06-10-2014, 10:36 PM   #6
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Should be easier as I believe the e9x uses a bolt on bearing whereas the e46 was pressed in.
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      06-10-2014, 10:42 PM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by s85e90 View Post
Should be easier as I believe the e9x uses a bolt on bearing whereas the e46 was pressed in.
those are the front wheel bearings, which are really easy i agree, since you can buy the whole assembly
the rear wheel bearings are press fit, and not easily press fit mind you.

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      06-10-2014, 11:35 PM   #8
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Maybe this might help
http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=486516
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      06-10-2014, 11:42 PM   #9
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I've read that front wheel bearings are a piece of cake to swap, but the rears have more going on, I think due to the parking brake if memory serves. Anyway, if you don't have lateral play then it's probably not critical to do now, but unless you're going to sell the car soon, you'll end up having to do it anyway, so you may as well do it now. It's not like doing it now might cause you to spend a bunch of extra money performing this service too frequently. You made it 82K miles, so whether you do it now or a bit later, chances are you'll never have to do it again. Sorry I can't help with a DIY though.

I replaced both of my front wheel bearings after 26K miles -- but that included about 18 track days.
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      06-10-2014, 11:56 PM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BzsBimmer View Post
hmm, ive seen that thread several times but never actually noticed there IS a diy in there, even if it's very shortly written with no pictures.

he....uses the original wheel bearing to put in the new one? huh, that's strange

Quote:
Originally Posted by jphughan View Post
I've read that front wheel bearings are a piece of cake to swap, but the rears have more going on, I think due to the parking brake if memory serves. Anyway, if you don't have lateral play then it's probably not critical to do now, but unless you're going to sell the car soon, you'll end up having to do it anyway, so you may as well do it now. It's not like doing it now might cause you to spend a bunch of extra money performing this service too frequently. You made it 82K miles, so whether you do it now or a bit later, chances are you'll never have to do it again. Sorry I can't help with a DIY though.

I replaced both of my front wheel bearings after 26K miles -- but that included about 18 track days.
i just got the car used a few weeks ago, and if memory serves the sound started relatively soon after i got it home from the dealer. i dont remember hearing it on the drive back.
considering it's 82k and literally nothing else is wrong with it (the inspection i mentioned found zero ghost codes or leaks), i'd be glad to spend $500 to get it in shape
on the flipside, i might be a pioneer and make the first video walkthrough of an e9x rear wheel bearing replacement......or i might spend 9 hours messing stuff up




anyway here's an updated video of the sound
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      06-11-2014, 01:33 AM   #11
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No warranty having just bought it?
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      06-11-2014, 06:41 AM   #12
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Have you looked at / thought about the tires?

John
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      06-11-2014, 07:27 AM   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by SenorFunkyPants View Post
No warranty having just bought it?
there is indeed a warranty, but the stipulation for that is that they will ONLY do warranty repairs at THEIR shop.....and the dealer i got it from is a good 2 hour's drive away , so i haven't really considered it

Quote:
Originally Posted by socalm3lover View Post
Have you looked at / thought about the tires?

John
no bald spots, and the guy who inspected it didnt see anything noticeable either
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      06-11-2014, 08:52 AM   #14
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If its free drive 2 hrs.
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      06-11-2014, 10:03 AM   #15
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sadly the place that would do the warranty work is a 2 hour drive away AND i just called them and they said they could not guarantee they could do it in the same day, so i'd have to drive down and back twice (8 hours driving in total), at that point i'd spend the $500 just to NOT do that.

just wish there was a good DIY for this
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      06-11-2014, 08:40 PM   #16
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so, should the hub be replaced with the bearing? or can the old hub be used?
the dealer replaces the hub with the bearing although i cannot fathom why
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      06-12-2014, 08:41 AM   #17
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Quote:
Originally Posted by joekitch
so, should the hub be replaced with the bearing? or can the old hub be used?
the dealer replaces the hub with the bearing although i cannot fathom why
According to RealOEM, the hub and bearing are sold as an assembled unit and aren't available separately. Not sure why BMW does it that way, but that explains why the dealers do it that way. I think I remember something about bearings being easy to mess up during installation, i.e. if you don't do something just right, you just ruined your new bearing, whereas selling as an assembled unit removes the potential for that problem.
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      06-12-2014, 11:17 AM   #18
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jphughan View Post
According to RealOEM, the hub and bearing are sold as an assembled unit and aren't available separately. Not sure why BMW does it that way, but that explains why the dealers do it that way. I think I remember something about bearings being easy to mess up during installation, i.e. if you don't do something just right, you just ruined your new bearing, whereas selling as an assembled unit removes the potential for that problem.
sadly that's also the front wheel bearings
it must be hella rare for the rear wheel bearings to go bad on the e9x or something.
the rear wheel bearings are sold as the bearing and hub separately only, there is no assembled kit
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      06-13-2014, 08:42 PM   #19
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just got it replaced at a local indie that doesnt usually do bmws, but knows what to do for them
it took longer than expected though since the hub was seized on the shaft so they had to destroy it to get it off, meaning i needed a new hub in addition to the bearing
ended up being $99 for bearing, $113 for hub, $247 labor.
worth it though, its now far quieter in the cabin and no more worrying about the wheel popping off on the highway

apparently i got to it really early though, most people with a problem like this wait until thousands of miles later than i did
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      06-13-2014, 08:59 PM   #20
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There are a couple of PIAs in doing the rear wheel bearings...

1. You have to get the hub nut off.
2. Press off the hub
3. Get the axle out
4. Press out the bearing...then it turns into a nightmare if your inner race gets stuck in the hub.

After that its a cake walk considering the nightmare you just went through.

The good news is an E9X should be much easier to just unbolt the carrier out of the car and use a hydraulic press to remove and install the hub and bearing.
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