We had the wheel beariings on our double axle, USA imported van repacked today as general maintenance. We half expected the bearings to be different to Aussie vans, but no - the mechanic said the job was identical to working on Aussie made vehicles. The bearings are identical. The bearings weren't worn at all, they just needed repacking. Because our van is 6 years old and we had no information as to how far it had travelled before we got it, we thought it best to have the bearings and brakes checked. The brakes were fine too as was everything else underneath.
Scotty01 said
03:46 PM Mar 20, 2013
What makes imported vans/motorhomes so inviting to some people. I have looked at many vans etc and I just dont see what makes them any better or desirable than Aussie made ones. Always have the dread that if imported just might not be able to get some parts in Aust. Can anyone tell what the big difference is! I have a Jayco Conquest and ok it is built on an imported chassis etc but nothing like that is made here in Aust.
2weis said
07:39 PM Mar 20, 2013
different people are attracted to different styles if there weren't we would only have one choice brian
enzed said
08:30 PM Mar 20, 2013
Scotty01 wrote:
What makes imported vans/motorhomes so inviting to some people. I have looked at many vans etc and I just dont see what makes them any better or desirable than Aussie made ones. Always have the dread that if imported just might not be able to get some parts in Aust. Can anyone tell what the big difference is! I have a Jayco Conquest and ok it is built on an imported chassis etc but nothing like that is made here in Aust.
What made importing inviting to us, was the purchase price. Ours cost around half the price of an Aussie built one. And with the internet and Fedex plus regular shipping avaialble, any spare part that did need to be imported could be landed pretty fast. It's very cost effective to import. But it seems that parts are interchangable anyway so the huge price difference certainly makes it worth it.
mr glassies said
06:15 PM Mar 24, 2013
Back to the wheel bearings they now have been removed re greased and re instaled if the job was done properly your guna b ok but fo r the first few 100 ks id keep an eye on em repaceked bearings have a tendency to loosen afer a little wile . Just my opinion
Dibs
enzed said
06:55 PM Mar 24, 2013
mr glassies wrote:
Back to the wheel bearings they now have been removed re greased and re instaled if the job was done properly your guna b ok but fo r the first few 100 ks id keep an eye on em repaceked bearings have a tendency to loosen afer a little wile . Just my opinion
Dibs
Thanks Dibs - we trust our mechanic who has always serviced our vehicles to a high standard, and he said the bearings will be good for a very long time. I guess it wouldn't hurt to have him check them again in a year or so. I'm not sure how to check wheel bearings ourselves anyway? We're not mechanically experienced so tend to leave servicing and repairs to a professional.
blaze said
07:23 PM Mar 24, 2013
Your wheel bearings should be servived at the minumun on an annual basis. They should be monitored for heat and movement for at least the first 1000km just to make sure your mechanic has got it right. I dont repack van wheel bearings, for the cost of a quailty bearing, just have them replaced every 12 months. cheers blaze
Cupie said
04:47 PM Mar 26, 2013
blaze wrote:
Your wheel bearings should be servived at the minumun on an annual basis. They should be monitored for heat and movement for at least the first 1000km just to make sure your mechanic has got it right. I dont repack van wheel bearings, for the cost of a quailty bearing, just have them replaced every 12 months. cheers blaze
Agree with all the servicing advice ....
As a backyard mechanic, I just continued as I have always done and repacked the bearings.
After every long ish trip I put the van on axel jacks 'till the next trip & do my usual Mtce bit .. blow out any dust from wheels, check breaks for operation, wear & adjustment; remove clean & inspect bearings & inner seal for wear & overheating and then repack. Re adjust bearing & breaks.
Check & grease suspension.
Always stop for morning tea on first day out & check wheels for heat or wobble. In fact I automatically check for heat at every stop. It's in the blood I suppose.
Still have the original bearings & break shoes after 14 years and around 180,00km.
After Blaze's advice, I might have to look at the cost of 'quality' bearings & modify my routine.
We had the wheel beariings on our double axle, USA imported van repacked today as general maintenance. We half expected the bearings to be different to Aussie vans, but no - the mechanic said the job was identical to working on Aussie made vehicles. The bearings are identical. The bearings weren't worn at all, they just needed repacking. Because our van is 6 years old and we had no information as to how far it had travelled before we got it, we thought it best to have the bearings and brakes checked. The brakes were fine too as was everything else underneath.
What makes imported vans/motorhomes so inviting to some people. I have looked at many vans etc and I just dont see what makes them any better or desirable than Aussie made ones. Always have the dread that if imported just might not be able to get some parts in Aust. Can anyone tell what the big difference is! I have a Jayco Conquest and ok it is built on an imported chassis etc but nothing like that is made here in Aust.
different people are attracted to different styles
if there weren't we would only have one choice
brian
What made importing inviting to us, was the purchase price. Ours cost around half the price of an Aussie built one. And with the internet and Fedex plus regular shipping avaialble, any spare part that did need to be imported could be landed pretty fast. It's very cost effective to import. But it seems that parts are interchangable anyway so the huge price difference certainly makes it worth it.
Just my opinion
Dibs
Thanks Dibs - we trust our mechanic who has always serviced our vehicles to a high standard, and he said the bearings will be good for a very long time. I guess it wouldn't hurt to have him check them again in a year or so. I'm not sure how to check wheel bearings ourselves anyway? We're not mechanically experienced so tend to leave servicing and repairs to a professional.
cheers
blaze
Agree with all the servicing advice ....
As a backyard mechanic, I just continued as I have always done and repacked the bearings.
After every long ish trip I put the van on axel jacks 'till the next trip & do my usual Mtce bit .. blow out any dust from wheels, check breaks for operation, wear & adjustment; remove clean & inspect bearings & inner seal for wear & overheating and then repack. Re adjust bearing & breaks.
Check & grease suspension.
Always stop for morning tea on first day out & check wheels for heat or wobble. In fact I automatically check for heat at every stop. It's in the blood I suppose.
Still have the original bearings & break shoes after 14 years and around 180,00km.
After Blaze's advice, I might have to look at the cost of 'quality' bearings & modify my routine.