Diff drip

[KC's Mercedes]

Well my diff isnt damp, its wet!!, with a drip on the driveway here and there. Apparently seals will need replacing, 7 hour job as this that and the other has to be dropped including my bottom jaw as ive been told its £300 to do. Is this a fair price?, had the car two weeks.....Kev.

 

[Supacool1]

Just out of interest how many miles have you done?

 

[Olivier]

If the leak is from the side seal and if you can get access to a ramp and if you are a bit on the DIY side its not too difficult to do ( on the E300TD anyway, I suspect yours is the same?), if its the front seal it need proffessional work to be done on it.
Olivier

 

[kwakdonut]

£300 for 7 hours work + parts? Seems pretty reasonable considering most MB stealers charge £110+ per hour!!

 

[moosehead]

It's probably worth getting a few quotes. I had the N/S drive shaft one leak and they replaced all 3 seals (2 x drive shaft and 1 x pinion) under warrantly. I'm not sure that it took them 7 hours. That said £300 doesn't seem too bad but it's probably worth making sure they replace all 3 seals while they're at it. (apparently the seals are relativley cheap).

 

[BlackC55]

It does not take 7 hours. 3 at the most

 

[johnsco]

£300 sounds pretty fair to me for this job.

 

[vijilants]

Well my diff isnt damp, its wet!!, with a drip on the driveway here and there. Apparently seals will need replacing, 7 hour job as this that and the other has to be dropped including my bottom jaw as ive been told its £300 to do. Is this a fair price?, had the car two weeks.....Kev.

This is a common problem on the W202 and it is a good point to bargain on if you know about it. It is very easy to spot just by looking under and shining a torch at the diff.

I had mine done and it came up to approx £600 and it was done by the dealership under a warranty that I had on the car.

I'd say that £300 is quite good, but you may be able to get it done a little cheaper if you know someone that has done several of these and knows the job inside out. (Plus has a slightly lower labour rate )

 

[moosehead]

Agree that you should find someone who has experience especially if they are going to replace the pinion oil seal (false economy not to if the diffs out). If the flange nut is overtightened it can easily wreck the pinion bearings. £300 sounds about right if it is 3 hours work and includes all the parts and new oil.

 

[KC's Mercedes]

Well i guess i will have to grin and bare it Its done 104k. Theres plenty of mechanics around here, the one who quoted has worked on these, he did work for Mercedes in Cambridge so ive been told, i could try our local garage i guess, but can i trust them to do it properly, but i guess they must guarentee their work, cheers all.

 

[vijilants]

Well i guess i will have to grin and bare it Its done 104k. Theres plenty of mechanics around here, the one who quoted has worked on these, he did work for Mercedes in Cambridge so ive been told, i could try our local garage i guess, but can i trust them to do it properly, but i guess they must guarentee their work, cheers all.

My advice is to take it to a reputable Independant Mercedes specialist who has done this job before. It is the safest option and should save you a lot of hasstle in the long run.

 

[BlackC55]

It is a specialists job. There are things you have to know.