I took my car (85 190E 2.3, 116K) for an oil change, and the guy said I need to replace the front right bearing, as its making a "lot of noise" - I have never heard that noise, I tried to notice it with the windows down, driving slow, etc, etc. but nothing. How can I find out for myself if the bearing is indeed bad, or the guy just wants me to part with some $$$? Also, he said that he would repack the left front bearings - is the labor involved in repacking the same as in replacing the bearing, because in that case I might as well get it replaced? To my knowledge (I have had the car since 80K), the bearings have not been replaced. Also, how bad does the noise get before it actually breaks down - I mean, what kind of a notice would the benz give me before collapsing?

thanks for all your help folks!

Rags

Rags:

The labor for a bearing repack and a bearing replace are going to be DIFFERENT if the tech is doing the job correctly. Bearing replacement is accompanied by bearing race replacement. Replacing a race isn't rocket science, but the person doing it should know what they're doing.

Repacking does not involve race replacement. The book says to use a dial indicator to set bearing preload. There was a recent discussion of this point and like other discussions here, some believe you need to set preload with a dial indicator; some say not.

I don't know what type of facility you had your oil changed at, but I'd seek another opinion. Find a shop versed in MBs.
A siezed wheel bearing can cause grief to include damage not only to your car, but to your own well-being. I wouldn't put this off.

__________________
Mike Murrell
1991 300-SEL - Model 126
M103 - SOHC
"Fräulein"

Thanks a lot for your response, Mike. I WILL show it to another mechanic - actually, this one is a shop that specializes in European imports, especially benzes. SO I thought they would know the car. And they might be right, its just that I would like to make sure there is a problem before getting it fixed.

Is there any way I can detect the problem (like steering instability, etc.?) - right now the car feels totally normal to me.

Rags

Rags:

Dry bearings are liekly to be nosiy. Tight bearings might also do this. Loose bearings can cause jitters in your steering, etc.

You might jack up the right front side of the vehicle and spin the tire. If it spins freely, it's likely not too tight. Do you hear any binding sort of sound?...crunch? This approach is by no means conclusive.

I didn't mean to imply that your oil change guy was inept. I wasn't sure what sort of shop you'd been to. If you're comfortable with them, move forward. Your car is about 16 yrs. old, so it's not unlikely the bearing(s) are tired.
Be sure they remove/replace the existing bearing races when
they install new bearings.

__________________
Mike Murrell
1991 300-SEL - Model 126
M103 - SOHC
"Fräulein"