WHEEL BEARING TYPE RUMBLE!!!!

[MARK H.]

Hi.....a little while ago i posted an item about a very slight noise coming from the rear nearside of my "04" Boxster S with only about 6500 miles on the clock but no-one replied.
Its got 7800 miles now and the rumble has got very slightly worse.
It's similar in sound to when a bearing or CV joint is just beginning to go on a car.
Sods law it seemed to start just after it had it's 2 year service at the OPC and the warranty ran out!!!!
Funny thing is at no time has the OPC offered me an extended warranty! Probably because in the first two years of ownership it's been back 4 times with minor problems like a loose parking sensor, Bose speaker problem and the worst was the Air-Con kept loosing it's charge because a very small pipe had been "nipped" whilst it was being put together in Germany and there was a tiny hole!
All put right by the OPC without quibbles but it meant a 180 mile round trip on each occassion as i live in Newquay and the nearest OPC is in Exeter!!
I paid 50K for the car, as i hadd it fully loaded wit goodies.
Am going to book it in for them to look at, at some point but was wondring if anyone else has had similar?
And if so what was it?
Surely it's not a bearing at 7800 miles!!![]

 

[GreigM]

could be - porsche wheel bearings are made from the same material as bon bons

 

[Peter Anthony]

Mark
Yes I have just experienced the same thing. A week ago noticed a noise, rear offsde. Had it checked this saturday at the OPC who believe it is front or rear wheel bearing, but not sure which. Service guy reckoned about £40 for parts and three hours labour. Car is 03 S with 20k on it. Not impressed as I have put 114k onto my commuter Golf and nothing has gone wrong.
Guess I will let it get worse then get it fixed at an independent.
Anyone think of a reason why any competent garage could not fix it. Should I use a Porsche indie?
Peter

 

[Mark_Bennett]

I had a wheel bearing replaced at about 30K miles. Noticed a squeak just once (at the PCGB Le Mans campsite in 2005 funnily enough). Never noticed it again, or anything else, but the Porsche Centre picked it up durong the next service/MOT.

If you are out of warranty then no reason at all why you shouldn't get it done at an independant. Should save on a fair bit of Labour cost.

 

[Peter Anthony]

Mark
Thanks for the response. Being new to Porsche I have read the forum and comments about independents and OPCs, but am unclear when the term independent is used whether it means the few specialist independents for porsches, or any independent garage. Can see a logic in using a specialist for service and complicated things, but wonder if straightforward stuff like brakes and running gear can be safely put to any competent garage. Is a wheel bearing specialist?
Peter

 

[Mark_Bennett]

I think you can safely assume "Independent" means "Independent Porsche Specialist".

Yes there are some items that any old garage can probably do, but having heard a few horror stories from people who have taken thier car to somewhere like this, I'd stick to the Porsche Specialists. They see the cars day in day out, and know any little foibles that the "normal" garages will be finding out for the first time on your car... []

Having said that, brakes you can do yourself if you know which end of a screwdriver to hold []

 

[Peter Anthony]

Thanks Mark, I will try the local club here in Cambridgshire for advice on a specialist.
I know which end of a screwdriver is which, the pointy end you hold to bang a nail in with the other!

 

[Lancerlot]

ORIGINAL: MARK H.

Surely it's not a bearing at 7800 miles!!![]

Mark,
Just a thought. Check the tyre on the offending corner. There seems to have been a spate of tyre "blocking" of late. Flat spotting or uneven wear also causes symptons similar to wheel bearing whirl. As another check, get your tyreman to spin the wheel on his balancer to identify any buckling.
Hope this helps.
Regards,
Clive

 

[MARK H.]

I'm really,really sorry i haven't replied until now but computer went "t**s up" right after i made this post!!
I've had to buy a new one! and it's taken me over 2 weeks to get the bleedin new internet router etc to work!!!
But i'm back on line now!!!!
Well i'm well shocked that you think it could be wheel bearing at only 7800 miles!!!
If it is surely that's not right! I thought these cars were supposed to be reliable? That's why i spent my £50k on getting one totally spec'd etc.
If it is a wheel bearing, even though the warranty has run out i will be asking for it to be put right at no cost!!
If i don't get any joy, then i will be speaking to my solicitor because a part like that should be lasting longer than 7800 miles surely!
It actually started earlier than this at about 7500 miles.
I'm gutted because i have cherished this car and love driving it when i get the chance!
I bought it in May 2004 new and in Dec 2004 was told i was going to be a dad....hence the low mileage what with work and looking after my son on my days off!......I even bit the bullet and spent £650 to get the baby seat, so i could take him out in it on nice sunny days! It's only ever done dry miles and i do use it on dry winter days, so it's never been left for months without being driven.
Admittedly it's not motorway miles because i live in cornwall!!..Great roads though most of the time!
Sorry to sound negative BUT i'm beginning to wish i'd bought something else, as i've not had 12 months trouble free motoring yet!!!![]

 

[oceancarrera]

easy test for a wheel bearing is:

drive straight ahead
swerve left then swerve right under constant speed (safely!)

If it is the wheel bearing, the droning noise will most likely sound when you are swerving one way, but not the other. The wheel bearing that is failing will be the one opposite to the side you are swerving. ie, if you swerve left and the noise increases/sounds, then it's the right wheel bearing. If you swerve right and it sounds, it'll be the left.

bearings can easily fail when a bit of grit gets in and nicks one of the ball bearings

 

[MARK H.]

Just for info...the car did come with YOKAHAMA (Think thats the spelling without going to check!) tyres which are down to about 3-4 mm now. I was surprised to see them fitted because i hadn't seen them on any of the other Porsches at the dealers. I just assumed they were on because i had the sports suspension fitted. Could they be causing the rumble? They look ok though.
My wheels are mint and have never even touched a kurb......but your right, might be worth geting them checked before i go to the OPC, because i have to go all the way to Exeter 160 mile round trip!)
I'm boring and check my tyres very regularly and keep the pressures bang on what they should be.[8|]
I'm still gutted and haven't had chance to do much about it because in the little spair time i have, i've been trying to get this bleedin computer working properly!!!!!!

 

[MARK H.]

Thanks Oceancarrera.....I'll find somewhere safe and try that out!
Just for info...It's mainly noticable at a constant speed......say when i'm doing a constant 37-38 mph in third. When excellerating it's ok but at constant speed it's noticable. The above example is when it seems to be at it's worst!

 

[Black80XSA]

yokoham avs sport are n rated and therefore porsche approved - i doubt the tyres are at fault, i've used avs sport before without any issue.

I'm not surprised if it is a bearing - with such low mileage the car has sat with the wheelsn and therefore bearing race in one positioin for extended time periods - they are designed for rotation, not static loads as such

 

[MARK H.]

The longest it's "sat there" for is about a month! If it's to become a "classic" like older porsches i don't think that's too long is it? Are you suggesting that "they don't make them like they used to"?
It get's used but obviously not as much as i'd like!

 

[Lancerlot]

ORIGINAL: MARK H.
Just for info...the car did come with YOKAHAMA

I would check these out first. If it's possible, try to borrow another set of wheels and tyres from someone to see if this eliminates the rumble.

I've just sold an Evo 9 GT on Yokis with exactly the same problem and even though the tyres looked good, they gave out a terrible wheel bearing type rumble at a constant speed.
Hope you get to the bottem of this soon.[8|]
Regards,
Clive

 

[MARK H.]

I would check these out first. If it's possible, try to borrow another set of wheels and tyres from someone to see if this eliminates the rumble.

I've just sold an Evo 9 GT on Yokis with exactly the same problem and even though the tyres looked good, they gave out a terrible wheel bearing type rumble at a constant speed.
Hope you get to the bottem of this soon.[8|]
Regards,
Clive


Thanks Clive...I'll look into this further!
Just as long as your EVO didn't have a duff bearing!!!!! (Sorry just my sick sense of humour!!!!)......Cheers!

 

[russtbird]

Hi Mark - you say you check your tyres regularly; does that include jacking up the wheel & running your hand round the tread face to feel for high spots?

I had a wheel bearing type rumble, had it replaced and the noise was still there! The independant I used then put a spare set of wheels/tyres on the rear and we road tested it - no noise! Turned out to be uneven tread wear on one tyre.

As my father used to say "check & do the cheapest options first and work your way up the scale to solve the problem". (That translates into "try everything else before going to the OPC"[])

 

[Rodney Naghar]

If it is a wheel bearing, they are only about £36 from Eurocarparts (part no. 628330170) + less than 1 hours labour at an indi
No need to sell the car just yet!

 

[oceancarrera]

ORIGINAL: MARK H.

Thanks Oceancarrera.....I'll find somewhere safe and try that out!
Just for info...It's mainly noticable at a constant speed......say when i'm doing a constant 37-38 mph in third. When excellerating it's ok but at constant speed it's noticable. The above example is when it seems to be at it's worst!

Typical of a wheel bearing. Over time, the noise will get progressively louder and worse. The car is fine to drive for a while, but it will need replacing in due course. The noise is caused by one of the bearings getting nicked and each time it rotates it just starts humming over the nick. Over time it gets worse as the bearing starts to deteriorate (and noise gets increasingly loud).

 

[MARK H.]

Thanks guys, i'm hoping it's the tyres!.......haven't had time to investigate further yet.
Hopefully having a friend who's a mechanic to take a look for his opinion this weekend!