"The squeaky wheel gets the grease." On your bug by the time the wheel starts to make a noise it is too late for grease. We are going to discuss front wheel bearing maintenance. About once a year it is good to pull the front drums and clean and pack the front wheel bearings. If you have neglected to do this you may hear about it. But it will be more than a squeak. A bad front wheel bearing can roar so loud in the car that some people have thought that the whole transmission had gone bad. By jacking up the front end of the car and spinning the wheels you can easily determine if you have a bad wheel bearing by the awful roar. To replace a front bearing or to clean and pack them the front drum has to come off. The wheel can remain bolted to it. On the older bugs the drum is held onto the spindle by a pair of 27mm nuts jammed together against a lock plate. From '66 on it was held on by a pinchnut that is tightened by an allen screw.
