I have a 1997 Camaro with 202,000 miles on it that has a very slow leak that I have been told is from the differnetial seal. I took it to a transmission shop and they said they wanted to replace the bearing as well as the seal but then they called back and said well, the they should rebuild the whole differential as a new bearing would not work with old spider gears. I am not having any noises like a bad bearing, and the car is running smoother than ever. Never had any major problems with it the entire time I have owned it (I bought it new). They want to charge me $1450 to rebuild the differential but said I could still drive it a while longer as it is not making any noises and the fluid levels are fine. I want to keep this car as I have just loved driving it, but don't know what to do. Should I get other estimates from other shops? I am a female and tend to think "they see me coming". Please advise!

 

thats a little expensive i am getting my whole thirb member rebuilt with 3.73 gears and full lock up and its costing me 1000 out the door installed where do you live???

 

I live just outside San Francisco, California. Does it make sense to rebuild an entire differential just to replace bearing and pinion seal?

 

If it ain't broke, don't fix it. Replacing the pinion seal is a fairly simple job. And it would be a real good idea to get the diff oil changed while you're at it.

 

does it hurt to continue driving the car? They told me they wouldn't just fix the seal unless the bearing was replaced as well. Or am I just being "taken".

 

Is this a chain shop or an independent shop? Did they feel the bearing to determine if it's bad, or just saying "might as well do it and get a job out of it since we're already in there"? I would get a second opinion, from a mechanic not a transmission shop. And with those kind of miles, they may be feeling some excess play due to normal wear. But, once the pinion yoke is taken off and buttoned back on, that play might not be there, depending on where the excess wear (if any) is. And no, it won't hurt to drive the car as it is, unless you had a huge leak where you lost the oil in the differential.

 

i call it preventative maintence

 

Get an extended warranty from a credit union or somewhere, and get it done under it. They have more than paid for themselves for me. ;-)