Greetings:

I am new to volkswagen, but not new to doing my own wrench work. I don't know it all but I know just enough to get into trouble.

I have a friend who is on the verge of purchasing a 1995 Golf. At this point in time I cannot give you the engine info, but it only has 105k on it, which is obviously good for a 17 year old car.

The owner claims the only thing currently wrong with it is that the, and this is an exact quote, "rear left axle spindle and brake assembly need fixed."

I am asking for a general idea of what type of work is involved to repair or replace the parts in question. I realize that it depends on the extent of the work that needs to be done but any information at this point would be helpful.

As I said, I'm new to VW's, and this will be a learning experience for me as I'm doing it. I would appreciate clear answers to my questions; at least as best can be given considering the lack of information at this point.

Are the rear brakes and/or spindles common problems on these cars?
Are there any special tools that will be required?
Would a press and/or puller tools be needed?
Are there any special procedures I need to be aware of to disassemble/reassemble?
Are there any bearings that will require replacement?
Are there any measurements or clearances I need to be mindful of as I am taking it apart?
About how long [in hours] would this take to repair?

Also, are there any other problem areas or concerns that should be considered and evaluated before my friend makes a commitment to purchase the car?

Again, I realize that there is only so much you guys can tell me given the limited information I have, I just need general guidance on this. If anybody can point me towards a good technical write up for this job I would appreciate it. If I get any more specific information about the car, I will pass it along.

Thank you.
-Brian

 

Welcome to the forum Brian.

The rear left axle spindle sounds like the stub the wheel bearing sit on the stubs don't wear out but the bearings do. If you have to change the wheel bearings then you shouldn't need any special tools or pullers. I can't give you a time for this job as I've never done one on a Golf. While the wheels were off to do the bearing you would check the rear brakes for serviceablity at the same time, brakes are service items anyway.

If he's been told this is the only fault known he could have listened for any noises when he did a test drive. He could have offered a price less than that asked to cover the cost of the bearing replacement.

The VW details of the rear bearing are:

Inner bearing taper roller - Qty 2 - 311 405 625 N - £24.60
Outer bearing taper roller - Qty 2 - 311 405 645 B - £20.50
Shaft oil seal - Qty 2 - 357 501 641 B - £13.04

You would probably get these cheaper at a car motor factors.

 

Thanks for the response Keith; and the welcome.

I don't know if he has test driven it yet or not. He asked me about the work involved before he looked at it, so I will advise him to listen for grinding or other odd noise.

I'm relieved to hear that it's just a stub and not a CV axle as I thought it would be. Stub spindles are pretty easy to deal with- it's when there's an actual axle to deal with that it really gets fun.

Thanks again. I will update you as I find out more.