72 Beetle, Rear wheel bearing replacement....

[kinovdur]

hi folks,
i have a 72 Beetle and i need a rear wheel bearing replacement job done. I live in SEattle and was looking for a good mechanic and if anyone knows a rough estimate of what i should expect to pay for that job?

[Ol'fogasaurus]

What part of Seattle do you live in?

If you have tools it isn't hard to do, you just have to pay attention to things.

Lee

[Marc]

http://www.vw-resource.com/rear_suspens ... isassembly
Frankly, no one can know what it'll cost until it's apart, there are just too many variables. Inner/Outer bearings, three different spacers, the stub axle itself (and that might even mean the drum's bad)...it's not uncommon to find that the outer bearing woggles in the diagonal arm, so even the arm could need replacing.
AutoVice/Bow-Wow in Lynnwood is the only shop I'm comfortable endorsing these days: http://autoviceservice.com/ Doug'll probably tell you the same, but he's honest and can be trusted with your car.

[Ol'fogasaurus]

^^^^ I agree, I have found Doug to be honest and helpful.

[kinovdur]

thanks guys, I don't want to do it myself(my skills are very novice), it's my daily driver. I'm not sure that I want to drop what i think might cost $500 on her. I might just want to pick up another bug.
thanks again

[Ol'fogasaurus]

Remember, the newest bug is probably close to 35+ years old now. A decent bug is still going to be way more than $500 assuming your bug is in good shape other than the suspect wheel bearing. Marc prepped you on what could happen but I would recommend to give Doug a call and talk to him about it oe let him look at it; after all, it might be a lot less... you never know.

Lee

[Jim Ed]

hi folks,
i have a 72 Beetle and i need a rear wheel bearing replacement job done. I live in SEattle and was looking for a good mechanic and if anyone knows a rough estimate of what i should expect to pay for that job?

http://www.speedyjim.net/htm/irsaxle.htm

http://www.vw-resource.com/rear_suspens ... l#bearings

You might want to wait until warmer weather to do this.
I did mine on the driveway in front of my house.

[Jim Ed]

On the rear wheel bearings, is the inner bearing seal the same as the outer bearing seal?
TIA!

[Marc]

Not originally, but the "outer" part is typically used as the service replacement in all four locations.


113 501 315G or 315H are the most commonly-used part numbers these days. If you get these seals in a 311 598 051 kit intended for servicing swingaxles, don't use any of the other parts (except the cotter pins) for IRS. There is a proper thinner large O-ring, 113 501 291B, but they're hard to find locally anymore. Usually they can be reused since it's grease they hold back rather than oil, but if not you're better off omitting it than trying to make the thick one work.