Differential Breakdown - Urggg!

J

jsevd

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Feedback requested from the forum:

Began to get a whirring/grinding noise from the rear of my 1993 318IS with 123K miles and drove with it for about a month. Took it to my repair shop (had pretty good exp with them) they made two recommendations.

1) The rotors/pads were near 5% so recommended new rotors/pads. OK'd service but grinding noise was still there.
2) Further deteremined the rear driver side wheel bearing was shot. OK'd replacement.

After spending $740 on both services the grinding noise, while reduced, is still very prominent. Now I being fed a line that its also possible the differential is also shot but because of the wheel bearing noise it was impossible to have flagged this added defect.

What do you think? Incompentent tech? Guessing at a problem? Thinking of taking the car into a local BMW dealerhip, spending the $100 to confirm this diagnosis or to see if maybe the wheel bearing was not installed correctly.

If it truly is the differential I never would have spent the $740 for the brakes or the bearing as I cannot see sinking another $1000 for a new differential - would have simply driven the car to its last breath. Not a happy camper at all. [mad]

Any thoughts on other possible causes of this grinding noise prior to my scheduling the dealership appointment?

Thanks for any thoughts.
 
B

Big Daddy

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With 5% brakes left you needed that regardless, even to drive the "car to it's last breath". If you need a diff, than $1700 isn't too much to have a nice road worthy BMW is it, otherwise you can still drive it to it's death! Wait for the second opinion and see what they have to say before you do anything hasty!
 
J

jsevd

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If this was main car I probably would agree but spending another $1000 top 1700 on top of the 740 already spend is a bit much for a second car, especially given the mileage any other large # of expensive things may go wrong and I could easily spend more then the car is worth. Guess you have to throw in the towel at some point before you enter into money pit mode.

Will keep you appraised. Have a dealership appointment on Thursday so we will see if the diff is truly shot (other forum feedback I have read is that an E36 differential often times outlasts the car so I hope I am not in the minority of "early" failures - if 123K miles can be considered early).

Thanks.
 
G

grc

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sounds like he is just knocking out the most common, least expensive problem as he finds it. if you find something wrong you fix it. if there is still a problem and you find something else wrong you fix it. if there is still a problem and you find still something else wrong, i guess there were a lot of problems that needed to be fixed to begin with. he's just following a simple logical path. i'd drain the rear fluid and see if any comes out. the cover can leak a little over 123k, after enough fluid leaks out you could have a problem? you admit that the noise is lessened, so i'd say he's got 'em on the run. you do know what BMW stands for, don't you?

Break My Wallet or Borrowed Money Wasted!!! LOL!
 
E

epj3

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$1k for a differential? What, are you buying a race-prepped 50 or 75% lockup dif? A stock dif from a 318 should run you around $200-$300 for a low mileage one... and no more than 2 hours of labor. It is a VERY easy swap especially with something to help you lift it into the car.
 
J

jsevd

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Turns out the first new wheel bearing put in was defective (or perhaps not installed correctly the first time out). The shop thanlkfully agreed to try a second bearing install and this time we are as smooth as silk again. The differential was never the problem (thankfully). Crossing the fingers that the other bearings dont go bad in sympathy any time soon!

Lots of aggravation but at least the problem is solved!

[offtopic] OT but some ass stole the face plate off my radio (I know - that why they are called "detachable" but you get lazy sometimes) a few days after the car got fixed so short lived celebration.
 
J

jsevd

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Actually had to get a second opinion from a BMW dealer who presumably had more broad experience dealing with 318's. Drove it around with a tech who also but the car on a lift inspected the differential in some fashion and concluded with 95% confidence that the grinding noise was not similar to a bad differential so he concluded the only other possible cause rested back with the bearing.

Cost me $75 to arrive to this conclusion but it at least armed me with enough probable cause to ask for a second replacement bearing be installed.

I had to jump through a lot of hoops to get this taken care of but I am just glad its done and behind me.
 
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