[lookalikehuuh]

My 335i's rear wheel bearing was starting to make some noise (rear passenger side) so I figured its time to do the wheel bearing. I had done the other rear bearing like 5 years ago when that one was getting crunchy so I figured no biggie. I even bought the damn BMW axle puller because it was soooooo hard to push that axle into the hub the last time.

So per usual I went and ordered the same F A G brand from FCP euro because they list it as "OE" which come to find out it is not.... Turns out OE is actually an SKF branded bearing, but that's a whole other story.

I confirmed with FCP chat rep that the bearing they had in stock was actually made in germany, he said that he went and actually looked at the part and confirmed it was made in germany. Of course I went ahead and ordered it a couple of weeks later since you know... christmas got in the way. Parts arrive and TADA! made in China. FML!

Hey I figured F A G is very reputable and I have their bearings in both of my cars, no biggie I will just go ahead and install it. The part definitely feels like a quality part and has some definite heft to it. Let me tell you that process on early E90s is a massive pain and requires custom pullers, presses, etc. I get that MOFO installed and it fails within a week. I was hearing a sqeaking noise when going over bumps/potholes and i went to go look for a loose bolt or something. NOPE the whole freaking bearing had failed and the wheel moved a good bit in any direction I pushed it to. I confirmed the axle nut had not backed off based on my prior indents made on the lip of it.

Welp I was screwed... to the rescue Autozone, since my 330i is at my mother in laws house for a couple of weeks while her new 4runner is getting warranty work done. I pick up the Schaeffers wheel bearing kit, which is the same as the F A G and its literally labled with the same name on it. Get that replacement installed, BAM fails again within hours of being installed, because now I know what to listen for.

For the life of me I can't figure out what the heck... are the parts just junk or am I doing something wrong?

I used the following tools:

-7 ton jaw puller to push the axle out of the Hub assebly (this is super hard on early cars)
-slide hammer to pull the axle out of the bearing
-bearing press to press the bearing out
-same bearing press to press it back in, being careful to lube the surface and insert as evenly as possible.
-Bearing separator to pull the outside inner bearing race off the hub
-Same bearing press to press the axle back in place (also lubed up)
-BMW specific axle puller to pull the rear axle thru the wheel hub (freaking hard)
-Torque the new axle nut to 310ft/lbs as spec'ed.

Anyone had to recently replace their rear wheel bearings and got one of these chinese made bearings? I want to know if its just me screwing the install, my bad luck on 2 consecutive bad parts, or just F A G bearings gone downhill fast.

[DIY02]

When you use the bearing installer, are you selecting the right sized cup/plate for the bearing race that the force is acting on? Example... when installing the hub, are you using a smaller plate in the back so it's riding on the inner race of the bearing as the screw pulls the hub in.

And why are you having a hard time pulling the axle through the hub? That sounds like a problem there.

[lookalikehuuh]

Originally Posted by DIY02

When you use the bearing installer, are you selecting the right sized cup/plate for the bearing race that the force is acting on? Example... when installing the hub, are you using a smaller plate in the back so it's riding on the inner race of the bearing as the screw pulls the hub in.

And why are you having a hard time pulling the axle through the hub? That sounds like a problem there.

Yes, on the way in im using a cup that is the full size of the full bearing to ensure its pushing on the outside and entire face, especially on the outer race of the bearing, since the pressure in on the outside race mostly. When Im pushing the axle into the bearing, I used a smaller size one to ensure the inside race is the one getting the backing since that is where the presure is going.

In very early E90s the splines for the axle don't just slide in, they have to be pushed out and pulled in using specialty tools because its an extremely tight fit. For the record, I used a 7ton 3 jaw puller/pusher and my 1/2 inch Milwaukee 700ft/lbs impact wrench on balls to the wall mode. I then had to hit the puller with a small sledge hammer to even start to break the axle loose from the hub the first time. I believe in later cars the axle is smaller and just slides right in. Axles cars up to 08/2007 require the axle puller tool, then. from 09/2007 apparently slide right in.

This is the axle puller tool that I used:
https://www.amazon.com/GLEXQLAO-Extr...79&sr=8-6&th=1

While this is an E46 M3, this video at 17min 10 seconds, shows exactly how the axle fitment is on early e90s, as well as how the tool is used to pull the axle into the hub. Its a very high friction contact with splines, just like what is shown on the video. While they kind of fast forward thru the process of pulling the axle, it definitely requires some elbow grease (along with actual grease) to get pulled all the way in.

[lookalikehuuh]

Update, confirmed the new F A G branded wheel bearings are simply JUNK now! I ended up ordering an SKF branded bearing from Rock Auto, installed it and the issues appear to be now gone. The SKF bearing is made in Italy, which I'm hoping is better than China.

Something interesting, I was talking to my younger brother, who happens to work for a major west coast milk supplier, in their truck maintenance department. They service all the big tucks that are used for anything from local deliveries to statewide deliveries. Well... turns out they were starting to see a huge increase in the number of new wheel bearing failures shortly after installation as well. My brother couldn't remember what brand bearings they use. So we called up one of the guys that happened to be in the shop, and sure enough they use F A G branded wheel bearings too. Apparently there was a discussion last week with all the techs about the number of wheel bearings they were having to redo recently. I pointed out to him that these new ones were being made in China, and its like my brother and his co-worker had a light bulb moment. So we will see if they change brands as well.

In the near term, I would personally suggest anyone who needs a wheel bearing for the rear, definitely stay away from the F A G / Shaeffler branded units, until their manufacturing changes away from China.

[jaffles]

Glad you sorted it. You want your bearings made in Japan if you can.

Reckon its so hard to say for sue what's good, what's not, and is the price paid is worth it these days. Had a $3000 Cummings US made exhaust brake fail in 13 months, 1 month outside warranty. Why is it the original lasted 25 years?

Bought a BMW packaged fuel filter with OE water mark etc with with made in PRC on the box.

Had Chinese made $70 glow plug controller punch on without problem, but the $25 Chinese DPF control valve fail. Was fixed with second hand one in the end as the OE replacement made in some developing European country carried a price like it was made in Germany.

Bit of a problem for me all this parts stuff as the car is only worth 10K, beautiful and fun as it is.

[StradaRedlands]

Thanks for the intel, both of you! Everything sucks, the enshitification progresses.
I try to get low mileage used parts from the wrecker for just this reason. I'd rather have a 15 year old BMW part than a brand new one at this point.