My Furby seemed fine at the weekend. However, driving it tonight I was getting a grinding noise that increases in volume and pitch with the road speed, not the engine rpm. It got quite loud and noticeable above 35 mph. I only did a couple of miles through town, parked up and there was brake lining burning smell and the front brake discs were very hot. The smell and elevated temperature were not nearly as noticeable on the return trip and both times the car wasn't driven hard (especially as I thought it was going to break). The sound is very reminiscent of wheel bearing noise but I would have expected that to have come on over several hundred miles rather than suddenly. If I let go of the steering, the The car didn't pull to one side ruling out the brakes locking on on one side. It was serviced at the main dealer around 1 month/500 miles ago so I'm surprised at having a major failure so soon. Any suggestions to what the symptoms indicate? I'm going to have to get it to a garage straight away I guess.

Thanks for any suggestions.

I can't be too useful as you are just going to take it in to be fixed, but it sounds like the front brakes are binding - or at least not releasing enough. Any extra heating that leads to hot smells or the wheel spokes starting to get hot without a lot of spirited driving, certainly gives cause for concern. Hopefully once they get the wheels off and clean out the callipers things will be okay. The rear callipers can be prone to sticking on a bit without leading to obvious right or left "pulling" - just a hot smell and hot wheel.

Mind you a stone lodged in the disc area close to the stub axle can make a lot of gronshing noises - happened to my wife's car a couple of weeks ago - sounded really horrible. After that noise maybe your brain took over and forced you to notice other, but okay things like hot smells - we are human after all!

From the descrition my wife gave me over the phone, I was planning to grab a new gearbox - or wheel bearings - but it was only a small stone. Does it make no or less noise in reverse?

if it is the wheel bearing i had that,

the wheel bearings had gone on both the front wheels, i thought it was just a bearing kit but ending up buying two hubs costing £70 each. if it is the bearing dont drive it too much, i did n the bearing buggered right up n stuck to my drive shaft needing 20 tonnes of pressure to get it off knackering my drive shaft lol.

I've managed to book it into my local wee garage today (the main dealer is getting too expensive) I'm awaiting a diagnosis.

I've just heard back from the garage, front off-side wheel bearing has gone, I've been quoted £145 to fix. Can't believe this has gone at this age, my previous car lasted to 10 years/90,000 miles before needing this.

I've just heard back from the garage, front off-side wheel bearing has gone, I've been quoted £145 to fix. Can't believe this has gone at this age, my previous car lasted to 10 years/90,000 miles before needing this.

A wheel bearing can go any time, any age, any milage. It's just he way they are. I have fitted bearings myself and had them last 75000+ miles but then I have also fitted bearings that lasted less than 2k

A service wouldn't have picked up a wheel bearing about to fail either, they just go.

As I've had to have one front wheel bearing replaced, are there any merits in having the other side replaced also? Would it cause the car to drift a little under acceleration or cruising if one front wheel is a little more "free turning" than the other due to the new bearings? Should I be on the look out for the other bearings to go then or is it just one of those things - they can go at any time and you just replace them as you need to?

Cheers.

As I've had to have one front wheel bearing replaced, are there any merits in having the other side replaced also? Would it cause the car to drift a little under acceleration or cruising if one front wheel is a little more "free turning" than the other due to the new bearings? Should I be on the look out for the other bearings to go then or is it just one of those things - they can go at any time and you just replace them as you need to?

Cheers.

It would follow logic that the one side would fail around the same as the other but TBH it's random as the factors affecting are so varied. When they go they go. £145 isn't bad to get it replaced especially as they need a special hub tool if you have ABS fitted.

Don't worry about one bearing being better than the other, I can honestly say that have never come across that being an issue

i had this before, both wheel bearings had gone, dont drive too hard if it is, i did n it took 20 tonnes! of force removing it off my drive shaft, knackering it