98 Beetle, Noise in front end

[cannon73]

I am working on a 98 Beetle 2.0 with man. trans. The problem is a squealing or a type of whining noise coming from what sounds like the drivers side front wheel. This only happens when you go over about 10 miles an hour and up. I put it on the lift and spun the wheels as fast as I could but could not recreate the noise. The car has 73000 miles on it. The trans oil was changed at 65000 and is at the proper level. My only guess as of right now is the wheel bearing, because it only makes a noise when there is a load on it. But there is no play in the bearing. Also the brakes and rotors are brand new, so that is ruled out. Has anyone else had this problem or know a solution for it?

[gregory914]

My 98 didn't make that type of noise but everyone I know with a new beetle has put front wheel bearings on them at or around 80K miles. I let mine go for a few months until it was really bad and then had a shop put a new drivers side on, only to find out when that one was quiet, the passenger side was also bad.
Another noise source is the front stabilizer bar mount bushing which makes it sound like you have bad front struts. I found this out after I replaced the stuts and top strut bearings only to still have the same noise I started with! VW knows this is a problem because they changed the design of the bushings and you have to buy the bushings and the mounts, only about $15 to $18 each.