Factors in my mind are....

one...wheel bearings not as good and well made as the original ones.
What brand did they use ?  ..chinese made ?

two ..workmanship...as Always.

three ..wheels with too large offset, puts strain on the brgs for sure.
I'd never run any wheels  like that.

Scott

On 05/27/2016 08:25 AM, Roy Nicholl wrote:
> All,
>
> Since I am still relatively new to the T25/vanagon world (3 years vs 30 with air-cooled).  Is anything different about the front wheel bearings on a T25 (vs the old buses and vans) which would lead to them loosening over a distance of, say, 7000 kms (4350 miles}?
>
> I had the hyena in for its annual inspection and got dinged for 1-hrs labour (min charge) to tighten the front wheel bearings.  I had the bearings replaced by a reputable shop in Calgary before my son and I had our cross country adventure in 2014.
>
> The BRM replica wheels the previous owner had put on the van do not have the correct offset - they’re about half of spec causing the wheels to run outboard more than I like.  Would this cause the bearings to loosen?
>
> In all the years with my ’66 Westy and ’74 Thing, the wheel bearings never loosened off between re-packing.
>