Bearing? CV joint? Safety

2001 jetta. 3 weeks ago I noticed my car was very noisy. I thought perhaps an exhaust leak, because it's loud. I am a out due for oil change, figured I'd have it checked at the time.
Realized yesterday when I turned wheel to left, the noise stopped. Even slight turn (say going from 12 oclock to 11:55).

Called for appointment....I have 2 brothers hundreds of miles away. One (mechanic) says sounds like bearing. Other (former jetta owner) says cv joint.
My question is, how do I know if it's safe to drive 40 miles to mechanic?

If the hub isn't so loose to the point the rotor is tilting in the caliper, it's safe. Drive slow. Don't rip down the e-way @ 70.

There are many many orher roads that allow slower driving and safe turn offs at last minute.

Sounds like a wheel bearing. Raise the car on a jack put your hands at the 12 o’clock and 6 o’clock position and try to move the tire in and out. If you get movement it’s a wheel bearing. If you get a lot of movement id be a little reluctant to drive to far.

Wheel bearings like to howl when they're going bad. Turns to change the sound and indicate which side is bad will nearly always point to the wrong side. I think it has something to do with how the double races in each bearing are loaded and unloaded in a turn, but there are lots and lots of stories on the forum telling that story.

Outer CV joints like to click when they're going bad. Turning on these will point to the correct side.

Inner CV joints like to do a power-on steering wheel shimmy when they're going bad. Just swap them side to side (if you haven't done anything to them yet) or buy 2 new ones. Chances are they're both bad if the steering wheel is getting parkinson's on you.

Good luck,

PH

Dropping car off tonight. Appointment for Friday. Drove it down. Noise still loud, starts at around 30 mph. Steps with left turn.

Wheel does not seem loose, no issues driving (well below speed limit)

I have 2 brothers wagering what's wrong.
Mechanic on west coast thinks brakes or bearings.
Other brother (former tdi owner) says cv joint.

Me? I'm just hoping it's not something prohibitively expensive. I do love this car

I suppose you could rule out brakes by squirting oil on the rotor on the offending side and see if the noise subsides, but people generally frown upon such actions as stopping on demand is a highly desirable quality in driving.

Seriously, brake noise will generally not transmit as vibration in the chassis. Bearing noise will. Just get ready to hear that they have to do the other side because the one they replaced didn't fix the problem. BTDT, and I have the t-shirt.

Cheers,

PH

I'm hoping they take a look at it Friday. This shop has been amazing ( & expensive). Pretty confident they'll get it right the first time...but we'll see...

Rear bearing bad. I got oil change and bearing...$335.00 I was happy with price

Glad you got it fixed.

So am I..
I'm thinking it is time to start looking for another diesel vw.....

kathie659 said:

So am I..
I'm thinking it is time to start looking for another diesel vw.....

Click to expand...

I might be interested in your current Jetta