The wheel bearings that keep the rear wheels rotating are very heavily loaded, which causes a wheel bearing to break or become worn out.
When should a wheel bearing be replaced? When a wheel bearing is worn, it emits singing, buzzing and/or whistling sound. As a result, a worn wheel bearing is quickly noticed while driving. For example, the sound can be heard in a left turn and not in a right turn or the other way around. This only depends on how the bearing is loaded at that time.
With the VW Beetle, the Karmann Ghia and the Volkswagen Thing with swing axles, you can choose between a wheel bearing set with a basic set of seals and a version with a complete set of seals. Not only is the basic set missing some parts, but it is also of lower quality. The complete set, which includes all wearing parts, is qualitatively identical to the original.
Both the basic set and the complete set are delivered with two seals, whereas Volkswagen used only one, namely between the back plate and the bearing housing cover. For a better seal, it is advisable to install a second gasket between the anchor plate and the support flange. In the complete assembly, this second gasket has a larger inside diameter, while in the base assembly, the second gasket is equal to the first one. With the basic set, you will need to increase the inner diameter to be able to place it on the flange, which is not necessary with the complete set. The complete set is delivered with the outer spacer ring, not to be confused with the inner ring (which is behind the bearing).
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