2006 Mk3 Galaxy 2.0tdci.

The front wheel bearing sounds like it is wearing out, plus last weeks service at main stealer (on cheap deal 😉 ) also highlighted a broken coil spring.

Main dealer wanted £300+ and fitting for front hub+bearing assembly, my usual garage £200+ and fitting. I can find them on eBay for £37ish. Why the difference? Are the eBay ones rubbish?

They also both quoted a lot for a coil spring (£100+), but I am struggling to find these, and they both want a couple of hours labour just for the spring. Seems a lot.

Thoughts?

Bump for the morning crowd.

Based on what i pay for wheel bearings . 37 quid is getting your just the wheel bearing which needs to be pressed into the hub assembly.

Most garages nowadays will just go straight to easy option , many cars force them down this route by the bearings being non replacable – how ever fair to say if they are availible you can replace them.

Requires a press to put them in and out , a hammer and drift wont cut it.

I did a rear wheel bearing on my modus without a press, bit easier as the bearing is in the brake drum.

Put the new bearing in the freezer overnight, put the hub in the oven for 40mins at 200c, take out and drop the new bearing straight in and cool with plenty of oil.

Appreciate it will not really be practical to dissemble the hub so you may get by with a blow torch to heat the area where the bearing sits.

Or pay a garage.
Regards coil springs,Eurocarparts list two different ones for between £60 and £70

I believe the same type of hub / bearing is used in the similar age mondeo.

I’ve had 2 fronts done – my local garage had a good attempt at removing the bearing from the hub but decided it wasnt worth it time / cost wise.

Eurocarparts supplied a SKF hub with bearing in at about £90. I cant see who could charge more than SKF : unless its genuine Ford.

Note its probably cheaper using their online “carpartsforless” site or using one of their cheaper brands.

My local garage charged £60 to fit each.

Removing the spring is a lengthy job but shares some / a-fair-bit of the disassembly with removing the hub so that should make it cheaper. HTH.

the front wheel bearings on my van didnt go any easier frozen/cooled…. they are the biggest bearings ive ever seen on such a small car. but more so you had to press it into the hub housing then press the stub axle back through the centre of the new bearing.

they were much bigger than even that my my previous 4x4s..

twin race 7/8s” balls – was about the size of a roll of duct tape…..

With a press it took seconds to do both parts.

The cost of the bearing + the press was still half the price of the nearest garage quote.

as for springs .a couple of hours seems fair for a front strut spring replacement – usually its – wheel off , brake off, ABS sensor off , TRE off , ARB off , hub off , then remove the strutt top mount and slide the strutt out.

Replace spring

Reassemble.

2 hrs seems fair.

ecp sho bearing kit – ie hub and bearing for 115 – random brand or 136 for an FAG. so again 200 quid at the garage isnt unreasonable after markup.

How ever i suggest phoning your local motorfactors – mines have woken up and upped their game , used to be the cheapest shite with the most markup- now you get good shit at a good price. frequently better prices than ECP who seem to be in the game of substituting their branded parts with their own shite – i just return it now. if ive paid for bosch i want bosch not some imitation

Don’t even think of replacing a coil spring without a proper spring compressor. Unless you are very experienced it is not a DIY job – a car spring carries massive energy and is very dangerous.

Ebay ones (assuming the right part) are probably just fine if reputable aftermarket brands.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/FORD-S-MAX-GALAXY-MK3-2006-14-1x-BRAND-NEW-FRONT-WHEEL-BEARING-HUB-FLANGE-/271827988937?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item3f4a35f1c9

intriguing … it is a hub assembly…..

one has to ask why they are 1/3rd the price of an SKf….. and no brands mentioned at all id possibly take a punt order it – check it out and return or fit it my self.

the question is – is it worth the labour to fit the right one next year IF the cheapo fails ? + good luck with warrenty and if its ultra cheap chinese then theres no guarantee it will even fit….. we bought a chinese waterpump for a transit – correct part number , looked right …. we fitted it – found the manifold for the hoses was moulded upside down so the hoses were coming in from every which way.

and echo what mike says about coil springs – done several now with DIY style 40 quid spring compressors and it always feels like im pushing my luck – when i see the unit my mate has at the garage – that cost about 600 quid it looks considerably safer and quicker than the DIY units.

Yes, that is one of them. Seems *too* cheap, but hmmmm

The springs are the same – ‘proper’ motor factor ones @£90ea, or £40odd quid on ebay for ones with same two or three year ‘guarantee’…

a quick google seems to reveal many happy customers of the AAPoldham cheap bearings …… although many of them are stating they only get 30-40k out of Oe bearings which seems questionable in its self to me….. im pissed if i dont get 100k out of OE bearings 😀

The linked Ebay listing shows the seller has a physical shop in Oldham and a website:

http://www.andysautoparts.co.uk/

googled your springs also …..

wouldnt touch them with a shitty stick guarantee or not.

having had a spring fail on me and enter the tire and “suplex” brand notoriety for springs failing catastrophically….. id pony up for decent springs – ive had good results with lemforder and they were cheap like the budgie for my car anyway from autosave – where as ECP were at the time wanting 60 quid a corner for sachs.