Hotsauce55

Shop confirmed the differential needs to be replaced. Guys told me at least 10 hours, much more labour intensive than all the other W211's.

I am contemplating doing this myself if the diff isn't too heavy

Thoughts?

2000UZJ

Remove the diff and have a shop set the gears...or swap assemblies yourself. A lot of beer is cheaper than 10 hours of labor and no beer.

Hotsauce55

Not sure if "setting" the gears will help, not actually sure what that means. Swapping assemblies in an option, just not sure what's involved & don't want to get effed up by needing a special tool/software or something is seized. It's my DD so I would need to compact this job into a weekend.

2000UZJ

If you have a shop tear the current diff down and replace everything you will need to "set" the gears. That takes some skill and special tools to measure the backlash and pre-load. If you buy a replacement diff you can just swap it in. It's not a hard task, just lots of bolts and time consuming. If it's your DD I would probably hand it over to a shop and have them knock it out in a day. Or rent a cheap $30 a day Toyota Tercel.

Efivehundred

Have you checked out this DIY thread?
DIY Quaife Install

Hotsauce55

Yes, checked out Brian's DIY but I am still a bit reluctant based on time/skill.

Not sure if I am better off getting a used low mileage diff or having a skilled shop dive into it. Not forking over $2,500+ USD either for a new one.

PelicanParts.com

Ask where they get their labor times from. Compare it with other shops or remove the diff yourself to save a lot of money. Might be about to find a DIY Tech Article that is relevant to removing it, but don't see anything specific to the rear diff removal. Good luck!

-Luccia

JoeNobody

Get a decent condition junkyard diff, and swap out entire thing. Mid 2004 they changed to beefier axles, so either get diff that matches existing axles or replace those with junkyard parts as well.

About $400-800 on eBay for a decent condition diff