Wheel hubs & cowboy garages

[hornmeister2000]

Don't know if anyone's been following my posts recently about my wheel shaking. Went to a tyre place at the weekend. They reckon the garage who charged me for 2 new bearings instead took 2 hubs + bearings off a scrap Maestro and put them on. The problem with the wheel shaking is that the hubs are from a difference Maestro and therefore the wheels don't fit properly. They'd butchered the front wheels, but the rear wheels and the spare won't go on the front at all now. They've advised me to get legal advice!!

I have a question... they also did the driveshafts. If the hubs are wrong, is it likely the driveshafts are too, or do you think they're OK as they fit the gearbox properly?

Many thanks,

Neil

[E_T_V]

If the hubs are wrong it is quite likely that the also sourced the driveshafts from the same vehicle. If they didn't and they were new, the violent shaking as the hubs rotated in a non circular motion would certainly stress them and the CV joints far more than usual.

I'd speak to the manager of the cowboy place and seek legal advice. If they have charged you for new parts and not fitted them then sue their arses into next week.

[E_T_V]

Oh yes and there are 3 types of bearing that the maestro has. There is the earlier 2 piece design which was up until around C/D reg. Then a later 1 piece design for 9 months or so on D reg. Then after that the final one piece design which was around till the end. If your maestro has a different bearing than is suggested for its age then they may well have done a swap with a scrap car. They haven't by any chance fitted a van hub have they? (these are 100mm pcd rather than the 98.something that the normal cars have. Measure the distance between the centre of diagonally opposite studs. If they are 100 on the front and 98.something on the rear then that is proof that they've swapped it for a scrap hub. (that might also explain the problems getting the wheels to fit properly).

[hornmeister2000]

That's it - there's about 1mm difference between the back and front round bit the wheel goes on (not the screws though - didn't measure that). I'll be talking to them later...

[Simon]

I've got that difference anyway and it is a common problem but the garage seems to have forced the wheels on, ruining them.

[hornmeister2000]

But no-one can get them on... Kwikfit, another garage - everyone says they don't go on properly. Just called the MGOC who reckons they could have put van hubs on. They, of course, are denying it...

[dutch-van-driver]

To ad something about wheels getting on (and off). The left front wheel of my van was a pain in the :censored: to get off. I had to use a lever to get it off. It apears the the hub ring is exactly the same size as the hole in the wheel. The screws are at the right place though. My guess is that a previous owner has misformed the hubring just slightly. I didn't sence any shaking during driving (over a year ago).

Marc

PS: Maybe the damaged front bumper is the result of a small a acsident(?) in which the hubring got damaged a little.

[E_T_V]

To ad something about wheels getting on (and off). The left front wheel of my van was a pain in the :censored: to get off. I had to use a lever to get it off. It apears the the hub ring is exactly the same size as the hole in the wheel. The screws are at the right place though. My guess is that a previous owner has misformed the hubring just slightly. I didn't sence any shaking during driving (over a year ago).

Marc

PS: Maybe the damaged front bumper is the result of a small a acsident(?) in which the hubring got damaged a little.


The front wheels are often a tight fit as the hubs and rims rust slightly. They were a tight fit to start with but the rust makes them a VERY tight fit. Use a wire brush etc to clean them up and apply a smear of copper grease to the hub centre when you refit them to prevent it happeneing in future.