Wheel bearing?

[S800BRN]

its usually a rear bearing on the mk5 i have found that needs replacing

Cheers. Hard to pin the noise down.
Anyone else found this to be the case - that rears go first?

[pudding]

The rear bearings especially get noisy way before they develop noticeable play.

The rear ones are easy to detect by jacking the car up with the handbrake off and spinning the wheels.  You will definitely hear the worn one.   There should be silence when it rotates, apart from disc brake dragging noises.

The front ones are harder to detect because of they gearbox, driveshafts and brakes adding a lot of resistance.  The steering feels a bit loose off centre when they are worn out though.

I reckon it's a rear.   My eddy needed a passenger side rear at 90ish K miles.  I would advise against pattern parts for the chassis, but obviously go with what ever suits your budget.  The rears are very easy to do DIY, but you do need some special tools.....namely a 3/4" drive triple square for the main bolt (I can't remember the size) and a bloody long breaker bar!

[S800BRN]

The rear bearings especially get noisy way before they develop noticeable play.

The rear ones are easy to detect by jacking the car up with the handbrake off and spinning the wheels.  You will definitely hear the worn one.   There should be silence when it rotates, apart from disc brake dragging noises.

The front ones are harder to detect because of they gearbox, driveshafts and brakes adding a lot of resistance.  The steering feels a bit loose off centre when they are worn out though.

I reckon it's a rear.   My eddy needed a passenger side rear at 90ish K miles.  I would advise against pattern parts for the chassis, but obviously go with what ever suits your budget.  The rears are very easy to do DIY, but you do need some special tools.....namely a 3/4" drive triple square for the main bolt (I can't remember the size) and a bloody long breaker bar!

Cheers Pudding.
Mines on 83k - I'd say the noise has been there the best part of a year/4-5k miles.
I'll have a look myself. I'd just took the garages word for it when they said they couldn't see/hear play in any.
Can get a rear pair for £120ish of ECP just now with a Black Friday code.

[pudding]

The rear bearings especially get noisy way before they develop noticeable play.

The rear ones are easy to detect by jacking the car up with the handbrake off and spinning the wheels.  You will definitely hear the worn one.   There should be silence when it rotates, apart from disc brake dragging noises.

The front ones are harder to detect because of they gearbox, driveshafts and brakes adding a lot of resistance.  The steering feels a bit loose off centre when they are worn out though.

I reckon it's a rear.   My eddy needed a passenger side rear at 90ish K miles.  I would advise against pattern parts for the chassis, but obviously go with what ever suits your budget.  The rears are very easy to do DIY, but you do need some special tools.....namely a 3/4" drive triple square for the main bolt (I can't remember the size) and a bloody long breaker bar!

Cheers Pudding.
Mines on 83k - I'd say the noise has been there the best part of a year/4-5k miles.
I'll have a look myself. I'd just took the garages word for it when they said they couldn't see/hear play in any.
Can get a rear pair for £120ish of ECP just now with a Black Friday code.

If there is no saw toothing on your rear tyres, it's highly likely to be a bearing.

No disrespect to garages but if they can't see or feel any wear, they will return the car as "no fault found".

[Ditto]

Thought I'd chip in with my experience too. I have/had a rumbling noise (that sounded like the bearings) and turns out it's the inner side of the rear tyres wearing down. The alignment was corrected beforehand but had already taken it's toll on the wear.

Running your hands around the inside of the tyre you can feel the uneven wear. Had the bearings checked by three garages and all said they were ok!

[pudding]

Yeah MK5s apparently had/have a reputation for uneven tyre wear at the back, especially on lowered cars, although mine's never done it.  Standard suspension.