Drumming noise

Had that Transporter, it might be the nearside front tyre.

I was convinced that my wheel bearing was on the way out till i swapped the tyres front to back.

I was amazed that the tyre could have made that kind of " bearingy " noise.

Its worth having a go to cancel that out if nothing else.

Although i must add that a front wheel bearing did collapse at 35K 5 weeks out of warranty !!.

Its a funny thing, but I first noticed the noise  very slightly after I had a couple of new tyres on the back about four months ago but I simply put the extra road noise down to the more agressive tread pattern but it seems to be getting louder, especially on really smooth roads where tyre noise is usually minimal. I'll whip the wheels of at the weekend and move the tyres round and look to see if any of them are less than round. As I said before, I would expect the bearings to be noisy when a load is placed on them such as going in to a bend but this is on the flat By the way, my milage is coming up to 38K

The general rule for wheel bearings is that they can make a noise at any time even on the flat but if you can make a noticable change in the noise by swinging the van around bends you can be fairly sure it's a bearing not the tyres.  Tyres can make surprisingly loud noises though especially on bad surfaces.

The rear bearings are much easier to diagnose as you can usually hear them when you jack up the van and spin them.  A good tip is to put your hand on the coil spring while you spin and you will usually feel a rough bearing.  Same with the fronts but you will need to be able to eliminate (in your ears) the normal noises assoiciated with FWD.     

Well she went to my local dealer today and they confirmed that the wheel bearing was stuffed but they were on back order so I'll have to take it in another day. On the up side, they found the source of my brake pad warning light coming on shortly after I fitted a new set to the front...... There is a warning wire on the rear pads too and my rear pads need changing.... Doh    I did look, honestly and I saw no wire and that there was an awfull lot of meat still left on the pads, bought a set this afternoon and will fit them this week end cos that beep on start up is driving me mad but not as mad as the howl coming from my wheel

To quote VW regarding brake discs

 

Brake disc

 

Vehicles with 16'' wheels, 2E3.

Internally ventilated brake disc: Ø 308 mm.

Brake disc thickness: 29.5 mm.

Wear limit: 25.5 mm.

 

Vehicles with 17'' wheels, 2E4.

Internally ventilated brake disc: Ø 333 mm.

Brake disc thickness: 32.5 mm.

Wear limit: 28.5 mm.

  

When worn, always renew on both sides of axle.

Never remove brake discs from hub by force. If necessary use penetrating fluid, because otherwise brake discs can be damaged.