What's the expected lifespan of the rear wheel bearings on the MK2 1.6 Focus? Our car, although 10 years old, has done less than 50k and it sounds like there could be a bearing going.

It was my mate, a mechanic, who noticed the rumble when in the car recently. I hadn't noticed it before but NOW I can! It's certainly a rumble that increases with speed.

Got a price from Euro Car Parts of £70, comes as a sealed unit complete with hub(what was wrong with the good old fashioned bearings like the MK! has?)

Don't really want to order one and find out it's not the bearing gone and is just normal road noise!

I believe my mate's diagnosis, I just don't WANT to believe it! :)

They can go at any time dint buy the euro one its a waste of money spend extra to get a ford one mine went in march on the rear and I had it replaced with the euro one which has 6mnths warranty on it it went just last week so I got an Indy to out a genuine ford himub and bearing in cost £146 all in which is less than the £230 ford wanted .with all fords from 1998 on you need a hub with bearing many oushdit bearings just don't last

They can go at any time dint buy the euro one its a waste of money spend extra to get a ford one mine went in march on the rear and I had it replaced with the euro one which has 6mnths warranty on it it went just last week so I got an Indy to out a genuine ford himub and bearing in cost £146 all in which is less than the £230 ford wanted .with all fords from 1998 on you need a hub with bearing many oushdit bearings just don't last

sounds like hes right

Agree with Arthur. My first bearing (n/s front) failed after 90k miles. The non-Ford replacement lasted about 15k miles. The other three are still fine at 150k touch wood.

I was convinced I had a rear bearing on the way out and took it in for a quote for replacement. Turns out its a deformed tyre which is causing the noise - you can feel if you lift he car off the ground and spin the wheel with your hand lightly resting on it. Michelins with only 25k miles, not worn but it has developed a wavy profile on its inside edge. The mechanic said it is not common but he has seen it before and said to just continue running until the tyre needs changing. I might change it earlier though as the noise is driving me nuts.

South_bound, the problem you describe is known as feathering or sawtoothing. It can be quite common depending on the tyre brand. I experienced it on my Focus with Uniroyal Rainsports fitted. They sounded horrendous and I ended up replacing them before they were worn out. Description of problem here:- http://www.oponeo.co.uk/tyre-article/saw-tooth-tyre-wear

By the way, I could only dream of getting 25k from a tyre :o

Cheers guys.

Why do these things happen around Christmas?

The hub on Euro Car Parts was a Lucas branded one which I thought was a decent brand?

If I only got 15K out of it, it would still be 3 years until it needed replacing! :D :D :D

If you really want a genuine ford bearing, save the huge expense and buy and SKF part - they are the OE manufacturers of them.

South_bound, the problem you describe is known as feathering or sawtoothing. It can be quite common depending on the tyre brand. I experienced it on my Focus with Uniroyal Rainsports fitted. They sounded horrendous and I ended up replacing them before they were worn out. Description of problem here:- http://www.oponeo.co.uk/tyre-article/saw-tooth-tyre-wear

By the way, I could only dream of getting 25k from a tyre :o

Thanks for this vendee - I hadn't read up on the subject and didn't know it is a recognised issue. I'm on my third set of Michelins with this car (either Primacy or Energy+) and this is the first time it has happened. Because of the wheel camber on the back it is happening on the inside edge and the article makes a link between tyre over-pressure and this happening which is the case for me. I will swap over the wheels between front and back as suggested in the article to see if that helps at all.

Not sure this was real saw-toothing at all. I changed the tyres over front to back and took a close look at the one making a noise - it was more wavy and bulging than saw tooth profile, like a 50p piece compared with a circle. Anyway it was clear that this one tyre was making all the noise so got it changed with a part worn one and all is good again. Definitely not a wheel bearing which is a relief.

Having the wheels balanced can help with noise.

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a lot of companys will tell you the decibel of the tires i always ask :)

Noise when new wasn't the problem, it was noise when becoming deformed that was driving me up the wall. Not sure I believe the dB values being quoted as it must be a function of the car, balancing, pressure, road surface etc.

In an ideal world the balancing of wheels should be carried out regularly,not just when tyres are first fitted.

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Noise when new wasn't the problem, it was noise when becoming deformed that was driving me up the wall. Not sure I believe the dB values being quoted as it must be a function of the car, balancing, pressure, road surface etc.

Yep, the dB level is measured outside the car at 50mph on a smooth, dry track. Add a rough surface, damp road and more speed and it'll be far more than the quoted level. However, it is useful for comparing tyres, in the same way as you'll never achieve book MPG figures but they're good for a comparison.