Roulement

[plod]

Is this what we call wheel bearings? Anyone got a mark one Megane? I have had constant problems with this.

[sid]

Roulement de roue.  I have a Megane II and have had some issues with bearings. What's the problem?

 

[plod]

I have had them changed three times now and a fourth is due judging by the din from the back axle. The last time my garage man was so surprised by the speed of the deterioration after the previous change that he did not charge me.

[sid]

I have the estate version (Sport Tourer, or "Break" here); I too have had a noisy rear axle. The bearings were changed last year, 20k Kms ago and sound as though one side is ready for changing again. However, there is also an issue with abnormal tyre wear on this car, on the rear axle. I don't think it applies to the saloon though. The rear camber angle is huge, supposedly so that when the car is loaded it becomes a "zero" angle and the car rides evenly. My car spends a lot of its life unladen in the boot and consequently the outer edges of the rear tyres wear quickly. At the point where they are approaching replacement the noise sounds very similar to wheel bearings! This problem is well-recorded in Renault user forums and it's easier to read about it in the UK ones. Some owner got their axles replaced by Renault under warranty; my car is too old now.

I would first check your tyres; 1) for uneven wear across the width of the tyre (is one edge more worn than the other?), and 2) for "scalloping" (where the tread pattern rises from one block to the next, like steps, around the tyre). Depending on the tyre pattern you could swap them around. I have tyres with a specific direction of rotation so I can only swap front to back on the same side, without actually having them removed from the wheel. It does however bring a change in the noise which points this time not to bearings but to the tyres themselves. I have now accepted more frequent tyre replacement as one of the costs of owning this car and have thus decided to use cheaper tyres.

I would try another garage first for a diagnosis as it's often difficult to diagnose bearing wear or imminent failure; rocking the wheel is not enough.

If you feel competent you could try changing the bearings yourself (if you think that's what the problem is), and buy online; there are two or three decent online site, Mister-Auto being one I use, and this time go for a reputable make, SKF perhaps. You need a press to insert the new bearings into the rear hub but a garage will do that for you for a few euros. If you have ABS mind the toothed timing ring.

Bonne route!

[Pickles]

I was going to mention the subject of tyres being a possible source of "wheel bearings on the way out" noise, particularly directional tyres, and more particularly the "V" shaped tread type. I have used Pirelli Dragos and Goodyear Vectors and both have exhibited this characteristic. This is on Saabs and a Civic.

Regards

Pickles

[woolybanana]

Should you not perhaps keep a weight in the back when the car is unloaded, say the equivalent of a bag of cement, to get the tyres flat on the road, so to speak?

[plod]

Thanks for the replies; if it were the tyres would it have become much worse over, say, the last month? I just took four people and their luggage to the airport with accompanying din. I wouldn't change my garage as he is always helpful and reasonably priced; finally, I can change the oil and a wheel but that's my limit. I will look at the wear on the tyres though.

[sid]

Plod; the noise from my tyres appears quite suddenly; I haven't worked out why!

Wooly: I thought about a sack of cement or similar but I'd pay the price of extra fuel consumption as well as losing boot space. Must admit that I haven't tried it though!

The rear axle is not adjustable by the way.

If you've got a good local garage I'd stick with him. I'm the same, and he's been very good with other stuff, but his explanation for the tyre wear was a little worrying... he said it was because I drive close to the righthand side of the road and the surface is worse there (it seems to affect the RHS more significantly), "Most Frenchmen drive in the middle of the road" ! [:-))] Ha ha! Well, that's nearly right... they certainly like to drive on my side of the white line when they're going in the opposite direction to me; nearly every day on right hand bends I meet someone coming the other way with at least 2 wheels over the line, even if it's a continuous one! Nothing to do with tyre wear, but I got that off my chest! [:D]