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Old 3rd December 2019, 06:35 PM
MikkiJayne MikkiJayne is offline
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Original Audi bearings last a spectacularly long time compared to other stuff I used to work with. 200K is not at all uncommon.

The bearing is a bolt-in component, but you are correct that the hub needs pressing out of the old one and then back in to the new one. The inner race will come with the hub as you remove it - the usual trick with that is to carefully grind a slot in to the race and then split it with a chisel. The bearing is carefully designed to make it impossible to use a bearing splitter.

Assuming you have access to a hydraulic press then that bit is fairly straightforward. Unfortunately getting the bearing off the car is not, as it is steel in an alloy upright and so galvanic corrosion usually makes it something of an ordeal. Normally I will remove the entire upright so I can put it in the bench vice. I will use the bolts as drifts to remove the old one since they are replaced anyway. Normally I'll cut the exposed thread off (thats obvious when you see it) and then unscrew the four bolts a turn or two, then support the strut well and just beat on the bolt heads until the bearing starts to move. Most of them I've done would be impossible to do on the car as you just can't get enough swing on a hammer.

That said, a bearing would usually groan or rumble rather than rattle. Have you tried the inner tie rod?
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