Rear wheels wobbling?? buckled/bearings/discs???

[mcenteeg]

Afternoon all,

I've had a 2002 Toledo TDi for a year now and have read up about various things on these forums since then... I'm now here to ask a question!

Someone at work was following me yesterday and when I stopped he told me my near-side rear wheel was buckled...

I jacked it up this morning and it appears that both rear wheels have a bit of a wobble to them. The discs are rubbing on the pads for part of the rotation as well which suggests to me that the wheels aren't actually buckled, more likely the discs are warped or bearings have had it.

I'm not aware of causing any impact damage to it over the last 30000miles so I'm guessing it has either been there since I got the car or it's a slow developing problem - still feels the same to drive.

Have any of you come across a similar problem? and is it a straightforward home fix or a garage job?

Cheers,

Greg..

 

[Muttley]

Can you make the wheel move around on the axle by gripping it on each side and wobbling it? If you get perceptible movement then the bearing is badly worn. Though I'd expect a bearing that worn to be making a noise.

Have the disks been overheated, by driving away with the handbrake partly applied for instance? That might be enough to warp them

 

[mcenteeg]

no, discs haven't been overheated in the last 30k, I mostly do motorway driving so the brakes get less than average use. there is also no evidence of blueing or discolouration that would suggest overheating.

I tried wobbling the wheel holding the side edges and couldn't feel any play in it. when i spun it with the wheel still on, there was a fairly noticeable wobble in it...

 

[Slimy]

If the wheel doesn't actually move on the hub, but the wobble is visible when its spun, and the disc is catching on the caliper, it suggests to me that the discs have been replaced at some point and not fitted properly. Something is between the hub face and the brake disc that is causing it to not run true.

First thing I would do is remove the wheel, the caliper and the brake disc, and give everything a good scrub with a wire brush to make sure there's no debris on the hub. Check each surface as you put things back together.

 

[Dox1966]

Fit your spare wheel to the suspect corner to eliminate a wheel (or tyre!) issue.

 

[mcenteeg]

I did fit the spare when I had it jacked up on Saturday, it still looked to be wobbling.

Thanks for the advice Re: stripping the disc and cleaning it, it makes sense so when I get a bit of time I'll give that a go!