[sl13]

I was doing my annual swap over from winter to summer rims and tyres and as I took a wheel off the rear, the internal hub cap fell off. It revealed a slightly damp (with oil) hub. It's a 335d xdrive and I wondered if the hubs were know to leak and if it's a job for a drive way mechanic?

I want to avoid a garage and dealership at all costs...

[Billfitz]

There's nothing in the hub that could leak. It's possible that a bad seal on the output shaft CV is allowing grease to leak. You're going to want to make very sure that's the case, as it appears that you may have to replace the entire output shaft. I can't find any parts listing for seals.

[sl13]

Bloody hell, this isn't what I was hoping to hear. I think I'll whip the wheel off, clean it bone dry and check it again in two weeks or so. I'm happy to try almost anything when working on a car but getting onto a lift might be tricky and therefore extensive work like this sounds like it's out of my reach.

[Billfitz]

Looking at the pictures of how the shaft and hub attach I don't see how any grease could make its way from the CV out to the hub. However, it's normal for the end of the shaft and the retaining nut to be greased to prevent corrosion, so that may be what you see.

[sl13]

Originally Posted by Billfitz

Looking at the pictures of how the shaft and hub attach I don't see how any grease could make its way from the CV out to the hub. However, it's normal for the end of the shaft and the retaining nut to be greased to prevent corrosion, so that may be what you see.

After my last post I did wonder if I sprayed my hub nut with protective oil the last time I put my winters on and I vaguely remember doing exactly this. Its good to know there's no opportunity that the hubs would leak. Thank you

[Billfitz]

I greased mine the first time I rotated the tires. BTW, the cap has a tendency to loosen. To fix that remove the circular spring in the cap, bend it outward to restore the pressure on the cap retaining prongs and reinstall it.

[sl13]

Originally Posted by Billfitz

I greased mine the first time I rotated the tires. BTW, the cap has a tendency to loosen. To fix that remove the circular spring in the cap, bend it outward to restore the pressure on the cap retaining prongs and reinstall it.

Thanks. I fiddled with it before, clearly I didn't pry it enough.