so i guess i have to take my car to garage for them to see if the bearings have gone then?

Cool.

nah, its the frpont ones you need a press for, the rears are easy to remove.
mine were really noisy, turns out that some of the balls had lost there shine.

Someone earlier was saying that a press was neccessary to change the bearings. I think this is only the case for the rear ones, as when I told my vauxhall mech that i thought a bearing was away he asked if it was front or rear. If it was rear i would have to take it to one of their other garages as that's where the "machine" is. I might have got front/rear the wrong way around!

The bearings don't have to have be able to feel play in the bearings for them to be noisey.

Rich

my bearing where bloody loud when they went, mind you they had been shagged for almost a year, just couldnt be assed to change it.

if the car was only MOT'd about a month ago, surely nothing this serious (sounds it anyway if its not!) can happen!?! or am i being too nieve(or however it spelt)

warped discs, dry bearing

i jacked the car up and tried shaking all the wheels. didnt feel like any abnormal movement so i dont know what else it could be? :S

mine make tapping noises at certain speeds when mine went cost me 10 quid to get a new rear one

my wheel bearings didnt make any noise when they went. As for checking them, jack up the car and give the wheel a wiggle. If it moves much its shagged. If it is and you dont fix it pronto you will bugger the flange.

cheers guys. i shall investigate

If one or more of your wheel bearings is gone, you will hear the noise get louder the faster you drive, and quieter the slower you get. If the noise is coming from the front, take the wheel off the offending corner, grab the brake disc with both hands and shake it, if there is a lot of play, then you will know that the bearing has gone.

mines doing same thing.....

If it's wheel bearings, then you'll need a press to push out/in the old/new bearing/hub. So you'll probs have to take it to a garage (Unless you have access to one, ofcourse)
You get tools though that pull/push bearings/bushed out. They have a threaed bar with various ends pieces on, then you tighten down one end etc.

As for diagnosing it, do sharp turns left and right, the bearing will get noisey as you load it up. Although it wouldn't hurt todo both, just more expensive :)

Rich

my car is making aweful high pitched scraping kinda noises every now and then. one of my mates suggested the wheel bearings maybe on their way out.

if it is the wheel bearings is it sumthing i can sort myself or need a garage to look at?

cheers 4 any help