DutchC54

allready had a gearbox replaced, was stock now e55, and now my differential is toast.
for a few days i had a humming noise.
today had the car in the garage, rear wheels loose.. and yeps.. left bearing is shot.
so Q. is.
whats to do?
get me a new C43 diff. or is there an upgrade available?
if so.. whats that? a CLK55 (w208) or immidiately install a quaife??
help me out here

KJI3jflarryfe93

did you do power donuts with your car?
do you toast your tires before you have proper oil temps?

are c43 diffs prone to destroy themself or what?
i don't worry about this as i don't drive my car like that, i have seen your cool youtube videos and you really ride your car hard.

maybe quaife is a good upgrade now that the sterling pound dropped in value vs euro currency, you might get a quaife cheaper from UK?

DutchC54

i only trash my car when the oil is on temp.
and yes i still burn tires so now and then, but only when on temp.
but my car also has like 320.000km on it.
so thats really no too bad to spin a bearing.

DRBC43AMG

Sounds like normal wear and tear after 320'000km with some burnouts, etc.
I would recommend a full rebuild and installation of a Quaife.


Just wondering if the E55 diff could be a solution as I think it was used in the Factory C55 MY00' version, but it needs a small mod to the chassis. Someone on here has done the full upgrade if I recall

DutchC54

thats what i think too.
320.000 is totally not bad.
in my time when i worked at Benz ive seen them go with lower mileages.
just checked the dealer and its possible to rebuild the thing with fresh bearings.
a complete new one cost like €/$ 3100.-
parts number is MA 202 350 9714/80

i think from memory when i slaughtered my donor car the W210 diiff is much bigger.

heres an interesting thread about installing lsd or swap diff's.
https://mbworld.org/forums/c36-amg-c...-almost-4.html

sick430

moneyone, did a fantastic job building and documenting that diff build. Lots of great info on that thread.

DutchC54

it indeed so looks like it.
but since im having a bit trouble reading it i havent made a choice yet.
i would like to see a 1, 2, 3 ( or a,b,c menu) what to buy, install or to use to go the ultimate route.
car is aside now.
will drive an Audi A4 in the meantime..


edit: in short...
CLK55(209)/C32 diff along with a diff cover from a 208 CLK55 can accept the original C43 drive shaft and axle flanges and then bolt straight in. and then exchange the factory c43 input flange on to the diff.
i dont quite understand what the 208 clk55 cover has to do with the mounting of the axles..( but again.. this can be of my ****ty english.)

DutchC54

ordered a brand new stock diff for a C43.
also new bushings.
my car has 320.000km on it and bushings start to tear.
even my hardy disk has hit the underside of the carroserie.
ill will make some pics.
oil looks metallic-ish... must be the high temperature.
also need to look into a cooler or something.
ooh btw.. i drive my car all seasons... would this affect the wear and tear??

KJI3jflarryfe93

did you order a brand new diff from stealership?
how much did it cost in euros?
on UK eBay, you can buy a quaife diff for approx £1200 sterling pounds

DutchC54

2600.- euro's
had to give back my blown one.


bushings and bolts also another 180.- euro's.


i need my car and dont have time to wait or search for a used or rebuild one.

KJI3jflarryfe93

for €2600 you could have bought a donor car
that's why they call them stealership, cos they are very expensive

DutchC54

again..thats just your opinion.
a donor car... another beat up car with a kazillion miles on it... remember we have old cars... mine is 18yrs.. dunno about yours.
i now have a fresh new unbeaten diff.
do u hear me complain about the price...
next week i know something else will break.. then again i need to fix it cause i need a working car.

eFifty5AMG

Congrats on the new diff & enjoy the peace of mind with those fresh parts. I'm jealous. Do you have an LSD going in it at the same time?

KJI3jflarryfe93

i hope you take good care of the new diff.


i would have been really pist if my diff blew

DutchC54

thanks, and no. its as oem as it gets.


u have 50% less chance it breaks.. and from that 50% another 50%.