Got the first sign of wheel bearing noise - not sure front or rear yet (TDI Estate). A bit surprised as only done 47k - on a Y plate

I've finally got a Haynes manual for the Fabia, and it says that both F & R bearings and hub are integral but looks do-able from the book - is it???

IIRC there is a special tool.

Do you have ABS? If so You may need this, otherwise it can be accomplished with an hydralic press when you remove the hub.

That said a belive a dealer will only charge around

as long as you have pulling equipement and a hydraulic press then yes they are easy but make sure you put them together int eh right order as once in they get destroyed when removed no matter how old they are

i payed about £70 for a pair of wheel bearings.

as long as you have pulling equipement and a hydraulic press then yes they are easy but make sure you put them together int eh right order as once in they get destroyed when removed no matter how old they are

i payed about

d'oh, sorry i was on about an octavia

Thanks for the replies guys - is Haynes correct - are the bearings part of the hub?

I don't mind doing the job - but I don't have a press - just a big vice.

If it really looks too much, as I only live ~ 20 miles from SkoSpares in Poole I guess I could take off the hub carrier and get them to do the supply and fitting for me - I have found them very helpful.

Just had a reply from SkoSpares - they say that wheel bearings are main dealer supply only.

Just had a reply from SkoSpares - they say that wheel bearings are main dealer supply only.

nah!!! my local motor factors supplied me an SKF bearing kit for about

@TeflonTom

Did you fit them yourself?? Were they complete with a hub?

yes, i did fit myself. but i've got a hydraulic press in my garage at home...

the centre hub flange is seperate from the bearing, press the flange out first! you also need a huge pair of snap-ring pliers

dont even bother to try it without snap-ring pliers!!!

the snap ring sits in a groove and prevents the beraring from moving from the outer hub, once you have removed the snap ring you can press out the bearing from the bearing housing(swivel hub?)

it might also be worth noting that if the bearing is broken when you press out the centre flange some of the bearing race may stay attached the the hub, in which case you will need a knife edge bearing seperator(or a hammer and a nasty looking chisel:eek: ) to get it off

also it is necessary to use the right size/shape mandrel (or a large socket) to push the bearing out otherwise applying pressure in the wrong place can distort or destroy to bearing races/seals.. but you can use the old bearing to push the new one in:)

Thanks for the detail

Does the snap-ring have holes in the end - I do have large(ish) circlip pliers - but could buy the necessary tool

So the sequence is: 1 push (hammer) out the splined hub/flange; 2 remove snap-ring; 3 push bearing outer race from the swivel hub - is that it??

What sort of bearing are they - ball, roller, or is it one big assembly including seals??

Thanks for the detail

Does the snap-ring have holes in the end - I do have large(ish) circlip pliers - but could buy the necessary tool

yes they do have holes, a snap ring is basically a cirlcip with hole-ish bits on the end:D if you try to do it with circlip pliers it will all end it tears, the snap rings used to hold the bearing in is a fairly large one and will make minced-meat out of most circlip pliers

So the sequence is: 1 push (hammer) out the splined hub/flange; 2 remove snap-ring; 3 push bearing outer race from the swivel hub - is that it??

I notice that the fabia haynes manual suggest drifting the hub flange out with a mallet, and frankly that is one of the most rediculous things i've ever read in a haynes manual. using a hammer is fine so long as you dont want to use the flange again!:eek: normally if you bash it out with a hammer it will distort the inner spline and you wont be able to put the driveshaft back in afterwards, besides the amount of force needed to push out a broken/siezed/corroded in/damaged bearing is far more than you can apply with elbow grease and a hammer.

What sort of bearing are they - ball, roller, or is it one big assembly including seals??

the front wheel bearings are sealed twin-race ball bearings

they are similar to this picture, except they have two totally independant ball races side by side, and obviously car ones are sealed, also from this picture it's easier to see where you need to 'push' to get it out

pressure needs to be applied to the outer "ring" only otherwise you will end up breaking the bearing

The rear wheel bearings are a simple tapered roller-bearing like this

jut a further note to this:

it's also worth remembering that you will need to undo the nut on the end of the driveshaft to remove the hub too, plus you will need to use a ball-joint splitter

Very many thanks - you have been really helpful.

I've got a Sykes Pickavant ball joint splitter and I know which bits to push on without wrecking the bearing.

It doesn't look that different to the old Mini front hub arrangement - except that has 2 separate bearings and a spacer (and no snap-ring) - and I've done many of those - yes I admit with a very big hammer!!

Thanks again.

Having done plenty of front wheel bearings on Fabias I can honestly say I have never seen any snap rings in the front hub. The bearing comes complete with the hub as the ABS rotor is integral to the bearing.

The driveshaft hub nut must be replaced and correctly torqued to prevent damage.

Also the rear bearings are not taper bearings, they are also roller type bearings and are bought as a complete hub assembley.

Thanks M-03 - what is the second pic?

Maybe TeflonTom is referring to non-ABS and drum rear braked Fabia.

The Haynes book says that the snap-ring holds the bearing/hub assembly into the bearing carrier/swivel hub, and that using the special Skoda tool it is destroyed when pushing the old bearing/hub out.

The second picture is the special tool fitted to the hub to remove/install the bearing without damaging outer casing.

The rear bearings are the same for drum or disc brakes, with or without ABS.