M5 front bearings

[Abaky]

Hi
Need new bearing on my m5. They had FAG bearings before so i thought i would replace with same. Soon realised that there is a wirkd wide back order on these at around 115 euros each. So contacted Bnm. 260 euros each!!!!!
Can anyone make any other recommendations as my front axle is off at the moment and i am not going to pay Bmw prices. Have heard some of the other makes are not very long lasting?
Thab
Nks

[jhh925]

Last time I did this, the part went backordered almost immediately ... so at the risk of jinxing you, Pelican has 31211131298 made by FAG for $90 each.

[Abaky]

I called them already. Its on back order!!!!

[a2058]

I had these FAG bearings on backorder for a good while at ECStuning. They recently cancelled my order and told me they are NLA...
At Ireland Engineering, they had them showing as available, so I ordered them... they shipped me instead Timken branded units and told me they should be good to use. I have not installed these yet and so have no experience with them yet...

[Abaky]

I had these FAG bearings on backorder for a good while at ECStuning. They recently cancelled my order and told me they are NLA...
At Ireland Engineering, they had them showing as available, so I ordered them... they shipped me instead Timken branded units and told me they should be good to use. I have not installed these yet and so have no experience with them yet...

Hi
Does it have the ABS ring with it?

[jhh925]

I had these FAG bearings on backorder for a good while at ECStuning. They recently cancelled my order and told me they are NLA...
At Ireland Engineering, they had them showing as available, so I ordered them... they shipped me instead Timken branded units and told me they should be good to use. I have not installed these yet and so have no experience with them yet...

As a bearing, TIMKEN is excellent. I have no knowledge of the hub parts that those Timkens are installed in.

[a2058]

Yes, the Timken hubs have abs pulse teeths on them, its the punched sheet metal type, not the raised teeth type... I have not taken apart my hub yet so not sure if the abs teeth counts are the same... spacing between the teeth looks to be bigger perhaps? Not sure as I need to take a look at what is on my car first somehow....
Its Timken 513125

Ok, did some research. These Timken hubs come with 48 teeth. On E28/24, looks to be 96 teeth... so the ring needs to be swapped, but not sure how hard that would be... is this right? Can anyone confirm the number of teeth on our cars? I guess if thats not possible to swap or otherwise different diameter ring mating surface or something, then thats not gonna work... yikes.

[///M]

a2058
If your bearing has 48 teeth it is incorrect part. The e28/24 has 96 teeth. It is unique to the e28/24, other models had 48 teeth. The ABS ring must be compatible with the sensor. The air gap is important. To big a gap and the sensor cannot read the pulse, to small damages the sensor.
With regard to swapping over, I have swapped them over in the past and they have worked but have also come across a situation where they were to loose and did not fit.
If I was buying new bearings I would want the ABS rings included. This gives you a new bearing and a new ABS ring. Why gamble because if you remove the ABS ring from the new part and have problems with fitting it you may not be able to return it.

[a2058]

Thanks for the information. Ireland Engineering was nice enought to take the parts back even after their return window with a free FedEx label as well... so thats great! They even offered to look for a 96 teeth hub kit for me, but I declined for now, will try to source something somewhere hopefully... lets see how that goes. This FAG NLA situation is really a problem!

[Abaky]

Yep a real problem. The only available part appears to be bmw and even though made by FAG i think, more than double the price.

[a2058]

I am also seeing BMW genuine part sources are stating these hubs being NLA... managed to find one last FAG hub from RockAuto two days ago, they sent it and its a correct unit. I found another source in Netherlands on eBay, paid about $155 with shipping, lets see if it comes in. It said more than 10 were available on the ebay listing, had to look it up by FAG Part number... fag 561935aea

[Abaky]

The fag pn i have is 713667160. I will google your number.

[///M]

Abaky,
Try C3BMW. They are a supplier in the UK. They have them listed on Ebay at £140
They list them for e30 M3 and e24/28. Give them a ring to check if they are the correct unit. E30 M3 front bearings were very expensive and you could buy the e28 front bearing (much cheaper) and change the ABS ring over. This was when they were OE parts back in the 90's. This might be why they list them for the e30 M3.

[Abaky]

Abaky,
Try C3BMW. They are a supplier in the UK. They have them listed on Ebay at £140
They list them for e30 M3 and e24/28. Give them a ring to check if they are the correct unit. E30 M3 front bearings were very expensive and you could buy the e28 front bearing (much cheaper) and change the ABS ring over. This was when they were OE parts back in the 90's. This might be why they list them for the e30 M3.

Thanks for that will contact them and see how i get on.

[a2058]

I was looking through ECStuning my order info page where my cancellations are listed, when I now go and check on the order that was cancelled for the FAG bearing 31211131298, they now list the expected available as Sept 29 2022! So may be these will be available again pretty soon... interesting. The one unit I was able to source has the same fag part number and "Germany" imprinting on the bearing as what is shown in the picture. The manufactuer date on my unit is 1/27/2021, and made in Germany...

[Abaky]

I was looking through ECStuning my order info page where my cancellations are listed, when I now go and check on the order that was cancelled for the FAG bearing 31211131298, they now list the expected available as Sept 29 2022! So may be these will be available again pretty soon... interesting. The one unit I was able to source has the same fag part number and "Germany" imprinting on the bearing as what is shown in the picture. The manufactuer date on my unit is 1/27/2021, and made in Germany...

I googled your number and though it appears to be yhe correct part there are no european suppliers with that number. Even on back order. This must be the same part but the US part number?

[a2058]

Not sure about the US number actually, as I just received my second FAG wheel hub from a source in the Netherlands, drop shipped by ABF bearings.BV (they showed about 30 in stock with this part number), which only took two days to my door in New York. These were like 105 Euro plus 32 Euro shipping on ebay, the seller was 247 Industries; www.247industries.com, they listed using FAG 561935AEA number, no picture though. What I received is identical to the unit I managed to source in the US, but looks to be in a newer packaging material... part number, FAG and Germany imprinted on the bearing inner race facing the outside, not the inside like the other piece I got earlier.

[Abaky]

Yes i sent them some. Emails and they sent me photos of the bearings and red boxes. No pn on the photos though and by the time they answered i had otdered them here in france where i am.

https://www.123roulement.com/roulements-561935AEA-FAG

8-10 days delay in delivery though. Will see how it goes.

[///M]

I hope you get the complete hub. The issue with the part numbers is that the bearing has a part number which can be for the bearing on its own. The complete hub unit has a separate part number.
I have bought bearings from that supplier before. You can find bearings for many different parts on BMW from the bearing part number. They have good supply and prices.
I think you may end up with just the bearings and no hubs, the price seems to low for the hub unit.
Please update with your results.

[Abaky]

I hope you get the complete hub. The issue with the part numbers is that the bearing has a part number which can be for the bearing on its own. The complete hub unit has a separate part number.
I have bought bearings from that supplier before. You can find bearings for many different parts on BMW from the bearing part number. They have good supply and prices.
I think you may end up with just the bearings and no hubs, the price seems to low for the hub unit.
Please update with your results.

Yes. I thought the same when i saw the advert so called and emailed. They say that it is a complete hub with abs ring. Will see when it arrives. If it is just the bearing i will return it as paid by paypal and they will send me return postage. Has yours arrived?

[///M]

I did not order the part but if you get the correct part I would order two of them to have for the future. The price is excellent and that is what made me think it was just the bearing.
Hopefully they are as good as their word.

[Abaky]

The bearings arrived today and they are identical to the ones I already had on the car. The only slight difference being in the numbering

my old one 561935AB +BB
on these 561935AE +0B

Can anyone explain this??

Thanks

[///M]

That is good news on the parts. Nice to get something from your own country. I will have to order from them.
With regard to the marking. The first numbers are probably the size of the bearing dimensions. The letters at the end generally could be the internal structure or modifications to the internal structure. You can look at the bearing manufactures literature for further information but it can the for a redesign or change and the letter denotes what it is, cage design or angle of the ball bearing contact. It is not unusual as that initial design was around 40 years ago.

[NedNorton]

Not sure about the US number actually, as I just received my second FAG wheel hub from a source in the Netherlands, drop shipped by ABF bearings.BV (they showed about 30 in stock with this part number), which only took two days to my door in New York. These were like 105 Euro plus 32 Euro shipping on ebay, the seller was 247 Industries; www.247industries.com, they listed using FAG 561935AEA number, no picture though. What I received is identical to the unit I managed to source in the US, but looks to be in a newer packaging material... part number, FAG and Germany imprinted on the bearing inner race facing the outside, not the inside like the other piece I got earlier.

Just wanted to let the folks know, I orderded a set of these direct from the website above for my project car and they just arrived UPS International from the Netherlands to the US in just a few days. They are marked "FAG 561935AEA Germany". They were packed as a set in a generic brown box.

Like everyone here, I have been watching the availability of front hubs and was getting very concerned that FAG hubs may have gone out of production leaving us with lesser options. I was even contemplating trying the e34 front hub and turning an adapter for the ABS ring. The supply chain has been a challenge on my project with a lot of things on backorder. For reference, it took 7-months to get a set Bilstein sport front struts from Turner so I was very happy to see these so quickly. Expensive compared to what we were used to paying once you factor shipping but, well worth it for the OEM and should last a long time.

A big' "Thanks" to a2058 for the lead. One more thing off the list to getting the car back together.

[a2058]

Glad it worked out!

[Machtig]

Just bought a set; should be here in a few days. Thanks for the info.

[Machtig]

Mine got here in 3 days! This is what you get

[a2058]

Just saw it on bimmerforum but this part is now once again available, ECS, FCP, Rockauto etc. Howver it was also noted on the manufacturer website that the part is to be discontinued so I guess now is the last chance to get them while you can! Rockauto listed this at $57 each, it’s the Schaffler part…

[cinnamonandgravy]

autohaus az showed FAG bearings in stock, so i ordered two. they sent me Schaeffler bearings.

are the FAG and Schaeffler bearings the same?
does Schaeffler produce FAG parts?

[a2058]

Schaeffler acquired FAG in 2001 according to some online source. I just bought these “new” pair available now just to have as a backup and compared to the set I got before when they were hard to get. The new pair do not have any laser markings of any kind on the bearing race surfaces, where as the old units had FAG and made in Germany with part numbers imprinted on them. Also the hub piece on these new ones appears to be machined from cast pieces (back side looks cast) as opposed to fully machined look to the old ones. Some visual differences I guess, not sure about the quality differences though, can’t tell.