w140 front wheel bearings

[jcyuhn]

Hi All -

Question. Are w140 front wheel bearings problematic, or do they require routine maintenance and inspection?

My brother drives a '97 S320 that has been in the family since new. It has about 50K miles on it. Last week one of the front bearings failed and welded itself to the spindle. Ever hear of this kind of failure before, or at such low miles?

To add a bit of drama, it went out while he was driving his wife to the hospital to have a baby!

Anyways, all is well now. The knuckle was replaced - spindle was ruined. New pads and rotors - it had never had brake work. For good measure the mechanic insisted on checking and repacking the bearings on the other side as well.

- JimY