blackwolf wrote:

^^ Indeed, a good point. People also nowadays seem to spend far more time with the clutch held out, or riding the clutch, than in the past, and this will of course wear the spigot bearing more (there is only ever movement of the input shaft in the spigot bush when the clutch is out, and the bearing really isn't intended to be very heavy duty).

So if you want a long trouble free life from both your clutch release bearing and your spigot bearing, drive properly and use the clutch properly!

4wheeler wrote:

... there was a graunching sound (is that even a word?) ...

I am please to put your mind at rest, "sound" is definitely a word!

Hi Blackwolf,
I am so relieved to find out that "sound" is an actual word. The money spent by my parents on my education has not gone to waste!

I must admit that I sit at the traffic lights with the clutch depressed either in neutral or in 1st gear. I never ride the clutch though and it is a pet hate when I see others obviously doing it. Given the traffic in the city obviously an auto box is ideal but unfortunately the VM Transit was not sold with an auto option in Australia. That would have been perfect.

So far I have not had any further issues with the new bearing assembly. Interestingly the Transit was trouble free for 130,000km, had a bunch of issues, then hasn't been bad for the last 75,000km. I suppose that is just age/distance related. The electronic niggles it has is a whole other story.

Given Land Rovers seem to be well known for self - lubricating properties, most bits should be covered in oil most of he time.