► Steering head Bearings

[BenGS]

Took my bike into Bahnstormers for a front tyre change and asked them to identify what was the knocking sound while going over bumps. Long behold only 7000 miles on my 08 GS my Wheel bearings and head bearings (not sure if its correct terminology) are both busted. Got them to replace wheel bearings at £44.70 + 17.40 to tighten head bearings and informed that they are still damaged and i need to pay £202 for a new set. Actually quite surprised seeing as the bike hasn't been off-road nor is it bumped down curbs or jet washed.

Worth a letter to BMW? They said to me BMW warranty doesn't cover head bearings. Which i don't understand why as its a design fault if they are breaking this quickly!

£168's later and i need to find another £202. This could be interesting!

 

[MikeMike]

Source the bearings locally, you will find a better grade available.
Do the work yourself.

 

[JayC]

Source the bearings locally, you will find a better grade available.
Do the work yourself.

They'll probably still be made in China wherever they come from.

 

[MikeMike]

Not all, some are made in Japan for example.

 

[GB.]

.

Worth a letter to BMW? They said to me BMW warranty doesn't cover head bearings. Which i don't understand why as its a design fault if they are breaking this quickly!

£168's later and i need to find another £202. This could be interesting!

Mine were changed under BMW used bike approved warranty.

 

[nig5]

Mine replaced by Balderstons under warranty

 

[BenGS]

Hmm makes me wonder even more when they say it cant be covered. I already have a letter in the post to BMW Customer Services as well as a phone call tomorrow once they open. So hopefully get it sorted as im not paying!

 

[MikeMike]

Mine were changed for free under warranty.
My friend's were changed on the street in front of the bearing shop.

 

[BenGS]

What a surprise BMW will not pay for it, even though they have damaged my bearings further by tightening them. Not to mention freezing my ignition while leaving my bike outside after it had been washed. The joys of me just wasting my money!!!!!

Thus only giving me the option of paying for the fork bearings (think they are called that) at £202 even though they felt fine before i went into the shop. Now they feel like the front forks are going to drop off! Cheers Bahnstormers for over tightening a problem that was never there! So much for a notch i never felt.

Now i see why i should of never brought my bike of a private owner; as BMW don't care when its not brought from them!

 

[MikeMike]

as BMW don't care when its not brought from them!

Not entirely true, they often don't give a damn that you bought it new from a dealer!

Source the bearings locally and set aside a few hours and you'll be able to get it done yourself for much less money. You'll probably find a friend or two willing to help. It is a pain in the butt job, but not one you have to do all that often and you'll have the knowledge it was done right and not like the local dealer left mine with the clamp bolt loose on the upper triple tree so that it slid out when I was entering a corner on a mountain rode and I had no steering.

 

[Bahnstormer8]

Hi BenGS

It's never great having to fork out your hard earned money on things you don't expect to have to pay for but I feel that there are a couple of comments in your post that come across as unduly harsh (to a sensitive me anyway!).

I think, as we explained at the time, the problem with tightening up a loose headrace bearing is that it can then highlight any damage to it rather than us over tightening it to cause the problem, if that makes sense? Sure, try the adjustment first but be prepared for replacement if that is not successful.

Secondly, if we were to prepare and sell the bike you bought as a BMW Approved Used Bike then we would have to cover the cost of the bearings, tyres and of course, a BMW warranty, ourselves and as such the price maybe a little higher. So you may have saved money in the first instance but sometimes that can then catch up with you. If the bike had a warranty and the bearing turned out not to be covered then we would approach BMW for a goodwill contribution. They look at age, mileage and where the bike was bought from to come up with a contribution (or not). The good news is that you can still purchase a BMW warranty to protect yourself should the occasion arise in the future (hopefully not though).

Finally, the ice in the ignition? Not great I agree but then it was very very cold! You may have been a bit aggravated but we are here to help sort that easily.

Alistair

 

[BenGS]

Thankfully i have spoken to Bahnstormers after BMW informing me there is very little they can do on their behalf. I appreciate this seeing as the vast amount of customers they have. My issue was having very little money after spending out £168 already when i only work part time. The result is i will pay for the head bearings but at a reduce cost thanks to Bahstormers when in fairness they didn't have to give me anything at all as the bike wasn't brought from them. Thus making me appreciate their generosity and proves to my parents that i would never ever take my bike anywhere else and hopefully this problem will be resolved on Friday.

Ben

 

[Greggers]

I think Alistair's response to your situation is very well stated and extremely fair... Given the situation and the fact that it's not a BMW approved bike they are willing to subsidise the cost of the work ... Bargain in my book, cos I don't think they're obliged to do that.

From my perspective of course this is a fantastic opportunity for you to learn a little more about your bike. Fitting bearings like this isn't a desperately difficult job, and certainly the parts and tools required would cost a lot less than the OD's total charge.

Whichever way you go I hope it works out for you..

G

 

[GB.]

Here is tip for checking head bearings,

We all know to put weight over the rear and move the steering from lock to lock with the front wheel off the ground, and this is a great way to check the top bearing, but the bottom one needs to be underload to check
So get two old number plates and place them face together on the floor i.e. one on top of the other, then place your front wheel on them with weight on and move from lock to lock as before, because the two number plate surfaces are slippery when faced together they provide little or no resistance and you will feel any notching in the lower bearing

 

[v8legend]

Here is tip for checking head bearings
So get two old number plates and place them face together on the floor i.e. one on top of the other, then place your front wheel on them with weight on and move from lock to lock as before, because the two number plate surfaces are slippery when faced together they provide little or no resistance and you will feel any notching in the lower bearing

Sounds good, cheers. I'll try that one day.

 

[divelandy]

Took bike in for its first MOT & the tester identified that my bearings are starting to go, with a pronounced notch when the bars straight. NOG have said it's a wear & tear failure which is not covered by the warranty. Looks like an opportunity to take the bike apart to do the work.

 

[MikeMike]

Wear and tear failure?
You'd be surprised at how many sets have been replaced on the QT by BMW throughout the world. I bet if you press them on this you might be looking at only paying the labor. Besides, BMW bearing prices are astronomical, if you replace them, source them yourself and save a lot of money and get better quality.

 

[BenGS]

Divel - Have a look at my posts previous to this. Both my wheel and head bearings went and it cost me a lot of money. However now having BMW warranty i have been told Bearings are covered and have this confirmed. So give them a call and consult your handbook its in there.

 

[Homer1968]

I had my headbearings replaced under warranty at the 12k service interval. It was the dealer who highlighted the problem and duly fixed it. That said the bike was less than 2 years old

 

[sijohnston]

Motorworks don't have any head bearings in stock apparently. I've got the SKF part number from earlier in the thread and simplybearings have it for £22. I take it I need a pair of the same bearing (i.e. same size for top and bottom?).
SKF 320/28 X/Q