# Fiat Ducato Front Wheel Bearings



## Deric

Has anyone else had the problem of Fiat Ducato front wheel bearing failure?
Our van a 2005 IH Tio R has covered 10k miles and the front right wheel bearing has failed-in Greece-miles from anywhere. After having it replaced by the main agents in Patras. we met a Dutch couple at a local campsite who had just had their left hand bearing repaired-in greece- this was their second bearing failure in less than a year!
They related a story that they had spoken to another couple who had had a front bearing replaced in Holland.
Luckily our bearing was changed under warranty which, by the way, is 5 years in Greece! The Dutch couple's was two weeks out of warranty and no amount of phone calls by the Greek agents would change Fiat's policy on two year warrnty in Holland. Wheel bearing 60 euros labour 4 hours 100 euros in greece! Good value, tho'


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## Pusser

Sounds as though I have something else to look forward too.


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## 88841

hi Deric


I too had to replace the front wheel bearings (both sides) on my 2000 Ducato with only 10500 miles on the clock. Luckily I could do them myself the parts including seals cost me £45.00. No-one can give me a reason for the failure, although when i removed the old ones the were bone dry. The replacement bearings are not genuine fiat and have now 13000 miles done. 
pogo


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## DavidRon

On two of my previous Ducato based Motorhomes I had MOT Advisories on the wheelbearings concerning slight play and noisy bearings.
The mechanic in one of the garages told me that Fiat were a bit mean with the grease. To avoid future problems I think it's worth having them checked regularily.


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## Pusser

Yes indeed. 17000 miles and I need a new wheel bearing. My guarantee ran out in March this year and I thought it was March next year so I am well peed off. Nice one Fiat.


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## 95531

Had a rear wheel bearing go at the top of Sutton bank, van was an auto-trail arapaho tag axle,Fiat dealer said it was caused by a dry bearing,the van had done 2,000 miles,not sure if that was down to Fiat or Alko chassis.


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## Enodreven

Hi, Just had our front off-side replaced 13000 miles and 15mths old, it was done under warrantee, but it was off the road 2 days (over night) as they couldn't remove the old bearing ?? 

I asked if there is any way they can check and apparently there are no visible signs, so no checks possible ?? albeit didn't fail completely it just started to make a lot of noise but was still drivable ??


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## Pusser

Do these wheel bearings need grease squirted in or are they sealed units.

p.s. I have just emailed Fiat for and explanation and what they intend to do about it.


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## Enodreven

Sealed units as i understand it ? so no maintenance


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## Pusser

Enodreven said:


> Sealed units as i understand it ? so no maintenance


Sealed an yet....empty.


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## Mat7

Sometimes if you can get the dimensions of the bearing you can get them from a bearing shop, at a cheaper price and often high spec. Always used to do that with motorcycle wheel bearings.

Cheers Matt.
:roll: 8O :roll:


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## Pusser

Mat7 said:


> Sometimes if you can get the dimensions of the bearing you can get them from a bearing shop, at a cheaper price and often high spec. Always used to do that with motorcycle wheel bearings.
> 
> Cheers Matt.
> :roll: 8O :roll:


That... is beyond me. I know wheel but after that I get confused.


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## Deric

*Thanks everyone!*

Thanks for replying all of you.
Seems we have got the uncertainty of another failure tolook forward to.
We are in Greece (ah! Joke!!) and will be travelling back to Italy soon. for a slow tour home for August, another 3500 miles, so being ever the pessimist when it comes to anything technical I guess France should see the end of the the other one  
You are right about grease. I was sure that was the problem when I saw the failed bearing the Dutch people had salvaged from the bin. I have quite a bit of experience with landrovers which have literally loads of greace in them.


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## Pusser

*Re: Thanks everyone!*



Deric said:


> Thanks for replying all of you.
> Seems we have got the uncertainty of another failure tolook forward to.
> We are in Greece (ah! Joke!!) and will be travelling back to Italy soon. for a slow tour home for August, another 3500 miles, so being ever the pessimist when it comes to anything technical I guess France should see the end of the the other one
> You are right about grease. I was sure that was the problem when I saw the failed bearing the Dutch people had salvaged from the bin. I have quite a bit of experience with landrovers which have literally loads of greace in them.


I have spoken to a Fiat engineer and this is a common problem and he said it is best to replace with I think SDF or SKF bearings. (Only told me 10 minutes ago and I have already forgotten - Short term memory is crap but long term memory is ....sorry, can't remember what it is.  )

He also said normally it only happens to one and normally only on one side and he had no explanation for that.

If there is a pattern, mine being LHD is that makes any difference, it appears my to be my right front wheel. Won't know for certain until next week.


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## Pusser

Yes....it has been confirmed. I need a new right hand side front wheel bearing. Fiat have not answered my complaint and I am not holding my breath. I did notice Ford did a recall in America for a similar problem. If I don't hear anything then next time I get a m\home, it won't be on a Fiat out of principle.


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## Deric

*Pusser's comments re bearings*

Pusser,

Well, there's a coincidence!
Ours is lefthand drive too and it was our front right which failed and as we recall the Dutch peoples' was also the front right!!


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## Pusser

*Re: Pusser's comments re bearings*



Deric said:


> Pusser,
> 
> Well, there's a coincidence!
> Ours is lefthand drive too and it was our front right which failed and as we recall the Dutch peoples' was also the front right!!


I am going to ask my engineer to save me the old one and I will get it examined by bearing expert to determine what the fault is. I am not a happy bunny. 

p.s. I have a form to fill coming from VOSA or somewhere so I can detail the fault and they will investigate to see if it has any safety issues. If, so, they will take action. However, the normal demise of a wheelbearing is normally seen to be a prolonged affair with rumble for some time until screeching is heard. This would not be a safety issue. If the wheel bearing failed immediately then it would be.

If anyone wants to fill out the form and send it off as added support, please pm me for a copy and I will send it on when I get it, hopefully sometime today.


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## Pusser

I have had a reply from FIAT so I take back what I said earlier as this reply is certainly within a reasonable time, even speedy. They have informed me that the matter is under investigation so that is fairy fluff in my book.


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## 97993

Pusser if I were you I would save the stamp money and put it towards a new bearing
I have direct acsess to VOSA safety Dept and when i informed them of a possible recall situation regarding *brake failure *on an mpv they replied, Ah well you spotted it so others should, no recall reqd
Kinda fills you with confidance dont it :!: :!:
Remember Somone has to die before anything is done


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## Pusser

Geo said:


> Pusser if I were you I would save the stamp money and put it towards a new bearing
> I have direct acsess to VOSA safety Dept and when i informed them of a possible recall situation regarding *brake failure *on an mpv they replied, Ah well you spotted it so others should, no recall reqd
> Kinda fills you with confidance dont it :!: :!:
> Remember Somone has to die before anything is done


That's mighty encouraging... Bit like speed limit signs - you need ten deaths before they even consider it.


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## Pusser

Wheel bearing has been done. A new front offside bearing - SDK I think - for £64 - a Fiat one would have been £15 less but may only last a few yards. Two hours labour £80 so total to look forward to when your's goes is £144 plus VAT.

I also had a service but without oil change and filter as I had already done that. Came out to £17.11 for air filter, £28.56 for FUel filter plus some little jobs like resiting the grey water outlet pipe for £40 labour all plus VAT.

All in all I am very happy with that and if you live in the Ayelsbury area then why not try John Lamb at Commercial Vehicles Limited

Tel: 01296 436007 email [email protected]


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## Pusser

Call me Mr. Lucky. I had my wheel bearing done last week and this morning I got a phone call from Fiat saying that even though the van is out of warrenty they would have been prepared to assist in the repair if I went to a Fiat dealer. So my impatience has cost me money. I told them about this site and Fiat asked me to say that if any faults that appear unreasonable to low mileage vehicles please contact them and they will see what they can do. Fiat has earned some browny points here in my view.


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## Hymie

*Fiat*

Hi,

Can you post the e-mail contact address please?

Ive only spoken to them by phone and it seemed more like an "agency" call centre rather than Fiat themselves - and not as helpful.

Thanks

Dave


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## Pusser

*Re: Fiat*



Hymie said:


> Hi,
> 
> Can you post the e-mail contact address please?
> 
> Ive only spoken to them by phone and it seemed more like an "agency" call centre rather than Fiat themselves - and not as helpful.
> 
> Thanks
> 
> Dave


I haven't got it I'm afraid. I emialed their head office and they emailed me back telling me to write to an address which I did. I then got a letter back saying they would look into it. This would have been late June. This morning I simply got a phone call from a woman who told me this. However, I will try and find out what I did. Of course I have managed to lose the letter, and the emails. In fact I think I ditched them as I did not expect to get a result albeit a week late for me.

Found copy of letter which reads, minus my personal info.

"
Customer Relations
Fiat Auto UK
Fiat House
240 Bath Road
Slough
Berks
SL1 4DX
Chassis Number :- ZFA24400007247157

Dear Sir or Madam,

I have a 2004 Fiat Ducato 2.8TD Hi|Top motorhome which has done 17000 miles and now needs a wheel bearing replaced. The guarantee ran out last March.

If you look at this link of a website with over 10,000 motorhome members http://www.motorhomefacts.com/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&t=15902

you will see this is a very common occurance in young Fiat Ducatos and I wanted to make sure Fiat is aware of the problem and perhaps an explanation as to what they are going to do about it.

It is totally unreasonable to expect this amount of failures on extremely low mileage vans, built for heavy duty work. Furthermore, the publicity this fault is getting can only put off members from choosing Fiat as their base vehicle.

Thank you in advance for your time and trouble and look forward to a reply as soon as convenient.

Yours faithfully


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## Borisd0

*Help Fiat Ducato/Hymer Front Wheel Bearing*

Help Please,

Fiat/Hymer B574 2002 18k miles. Front wheel bearing noisy. 
My garage is not sure if this a Hymer changed part from the original Ducato. Does anuone know the part number.
Any help gratefully received. 
Geoff


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## pneumatician

I was advised my front wheel bearings were showing signs of wear at 18K.
These were on a Peudet Boxer which I assume is the same as Fiat.

SKF are the Swedish bearing suppliers you could also try NTN which are very good. 
Not sure about wheel bearings but general engineering bearings are supplied with the same dimensions but for different duties and this will be reflected in the price. Bearing suppliers will advise. The reference numbers on the old bearings give all necessary information. 
Lack of packing grease was a regular problem with my Kawasaki motorcycles but not BMW.

Steve


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## dethleff

My 1995 dethleff recently had to have its first wheel bearing change after 46,000 miles,
Luckily for me it was a nice quiet road when it packed up, the M25.
Stan

ps it was the rear offside


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## loddy

The thing that most concerns me about wheel bearings,and I think GEO can confirm is that VOSA and their new automated 1 man testing lanes don't jack up vehicles to check for rough or worn bearings, they don't regard it as a saftey issue.
The outcome is frightening.
Loddy


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## 100004

Just a thought. I ,many years ago, had probs with bearings and it turned out to be the 'preload' As in a spacer between the bearings or too much torque when tightening. The bit about no grease is slightly spooky as how many are effected and why, when its auto assembled, is this not done. Don't tell me a little man is greasing the units up. Also, it could be a machining fault on the actual hubs and no manufacturer is going to admit that. H


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## Borisd0

Hi, 
I managed to get the part number from a very helpful Fiat/Hymer Garage on the south coast. Apparently it is the standard Ducato part. 
I collected it from a local Fiat dealer for fitting by a local garage. It's a big plane single bearing, no grease in sight and certainly cannot be greased, lets hope that some was put in during manufacture. 
It bugs me with all this modern technology that the basic items fail all too soon. There is no point in bells and whistles if the wheels fall off! 

Geoff


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## Borisd0

Post Script to previous posting.

Bearing replaced by Fiat Part!
Bearing £50
Engineering charge to press out old bearing £60
+ Labour & VAT 
Total £250.

I wonder how long this one will last.

No sign of grease and certainly no way that grease can be added owing to the construction of the bearing.

Must study the posts to check out other suitable bearings from other makers for next time..


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## 97993

And about £100 too much, Id check out another Garage too,The Engineering charge @£60 has to be a wind up, 15mins to press out and in, labour for that is included in the fitting charge
Geo


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## vicdicdoc

Geo,
Whats your view regarding the best / most reliable make of replacement wheel bearings for Ducato based motorhomes ?
vic


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## 97993

Hi Vic It is clear that somthing is amiss with these wheel bearings, I had to fit one to my Kontiki @10,500 miles I used an after market one supplied by Partco dearer than the fiat genuine artical but Partco have a hi spec for all the parts they supply as they pay the Labour as well as replace the part if things go wrong, so it is in there interest to use only the best, Given a choice I would have chosen the SKF, more than likely SKF box up their wheel bearing into Partco boxes, this happens a lot in the M/trade, It may well be possible that Fiat use the same bearings, as Fiat dont make anything at all just put the bits together and there arnt that many bearing manf about ,unless they chose an eastern block country to supply cheap parts ,who really knows???
Geo


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## Borisd0

Fiat have obviously got a problem with some bearings. 

When you need a replacement wheel bearing it is often in a hurry so one is likely take whatever is offerd. However it would be nice to make an infomed choice of a quality reliable bearing and know in advance of the failure what part you are looking for. 

I have the Fiat part number of my bearing so where can I find who makes equivalents? 

Geoff


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## 97993

Hi Geoff the short answer is you wont know what youve got till you open the box, as stated earlier limited manufacters and they all box acording to what you want to say on your box, In order to get some clarity on this important subject my homework has learnt the following
Fiat source there bearings from two companies SRN and Daywoo, most quality motor factors who stock there own brand bearing such as Partco (Uninpart) use three sources SKF,NTN, or for heavy duty application and on request only due to cost Timmkin Bearings, (expensive but renowned quality) The AA specify Timmkin on all their vehicles, Ducato appear to use the same size bearing through most but not all the range the Partco Timmkin bearing as supplied to the AA is part No GHK 1464, but check in the box that it is a timmkin because if timmkin are out of stock they will pack SKF or NTN both high quality parts non the less
Hope that helps 
Geo

In My Opinion The following could be used as a Quality Chart

Timkin
SKF or NTN
SRN or Daywoo


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## 88826

I've been reading this topic with some trepidation as I believe I have a similar problem with my Citroen Relay which I believe is a clone of the Ducato and Boxer. Went for a trip to Keswick last week and as I normally do, did a quick check around the wheels for any signs of overheating etc. Front nearside was uncomfortably warm/hot and the offside also but not as much as nearside. There is bound to be some heat generated, isn't there? :roll: I suspected a wheel bearing and today went to the local Citroen dealership who test drove and jacked up the van. I have been quoted £589.68 + VAT for two bearings @ £94.59 each, two hubs for £82.25 each, plus £240.00 labour. I queried the neccessity of renewing the two hubs and was told that they would probably be damaged when the old bearing was pressed out. I have contacted other dealerships who have quoted between £750 and £956. One of them reserved judgement that it was bearing trouble and asked me to take it in for a check quoting it may be a binding brake caliper causing the overheating. (I did have new discs and pads fitted in February) I feel like a lamb being led to the slaughter, at least Dick Turpin wore a mask. Your comments, advice, *donations*, bearing serial numbers, types of bearing. i.e. tapered roller etc. will not only be gratefully accepted but TREASURED. :wink:

Bonza


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## 97993

A wheel bearing fault is to the trained ear almost unmistakable, if there is dought, your bearings are not ready for changing yet, driving with windows shut and radio off an unmistakable drone or humming can be clearly heard swaying the vehicle from side to side will load one side then the other and the note of the drone will change, getting louder on the weight loaded side, heat is more likely to be brake generated than a bearing fault,
Would you like some mint sauce to go sir!!!
Geo


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## PIANOSONIC

*fiat bearing on way out at 33,000*

Hi all
we have just drove up through france and i thought maybe french road surface noise was the prob. Just had the wheels checked after reading the posts in this forum . I need a new wheel bearing..At least im at home and not stuck abroad. the van is a fiat tribute 54 reg. Be warned looks like a common fault reading everyones posts on this subject.

regards t.c.


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