BMW Rear Wheel Bearing - 33416792356 - FAG

Wheel Bearing

Wheel bearings support the vehicle's weight and reduce rotational friction, located within the wheel hub/spindle. European car manufacturers typically use three types of wheel bearings: unsealed, sealed press-in, and wheel bearing/hub assemblies.

Unsealed bearings, common in pre-1990 cars, require regular greasing, while sealed bearings, used from the 1990s onward, are maintenance-free and must be replaced when worn. The most modern approach integrates the wheel bearing into the hub assembly, simplifying replacement by bolting in a new unit.

Signs of failure include a grinding noise, which worsens over time. Diagnosing involves lifting the car to check for wheel play and noise. Replacement processes differ: unsealed bearings need cleaning and proper alignment, sealed bearings require pressing out, and hub assemblies are straightforward to unbolt and replace. Correct torque application is vital for all types to prevent premature failure.

Wheel Bearing Failure Symptoms:

Grinding or growling: A bad wheel bearing will first reveal itself by making a growling or grinding noise when unloaded, IE if turning right, the right side will make noise. Eventually, as it gets worse, so will the sound until it’s replaced
Play in the wheel: With the wheel off the ground, you will detect play from a worn wheel bearing. This is because the internal bearings have worn away and are no longer perfectly tight.
Vibration or wobble: While much less frequent, if a wheel bearing is very bad or has an excessive amount of play in it, it will cause issues with the vehicle's handling, including vibration or wobble noticeably through the steering wheel.
Uneven Tire Wear: A faulty Wheel Bearing can adversely affect tire wear and cause uneven wear across the tire contact patch.
ABS warning light: If you are chasing an ABS issue and you have sorted out the sensors, it’s not impossible that damage has occurred to the ABS tone ring inside of the wheel bearing. If you have a single corner fault but the ABS sensor checks out, replace the wheel bearing and in turn the tone ring.

FAG (Fischers Aktien-Gesellschaft) was founded in Germany in 1883 after Friedrich Fischer designed the ball grinder. The machine allowed steel balls to be ground to an absolutely round state for the first time. FAG bearings have been used in cars since they were invented. They are an OE supplier for every car manufacturer on the planet, including Audi, BMW, Porsche, and VW.

Today FAG is a division of the Schaeffler Group, which also includes INA's and LuK full line of OE and OEM components for your European vehicle.

Wheel Bearings

With its FAG brand, Schaeffler stands for a long tradition of innovation and is a leader in rolling bearing technology. From high-precision, reliable wheel bearings of various generations to complex wheel modules – with the highest demands on product development and manufactured to an uncompromisingly high quality level. With a total of more than 1,100 wheel bearing sets, the aftermarket specialists achieve market-leading coverage of the entire European fleet in this segment.