Should I change just the leaking side of the diff axle or both?

[Submariner1]

The outer suspension has to be removed on Subs car to remove driveshafts, don't try and tighten that plug anymore Peter, you risk cracking the casing, I fitted that last so I no it's correct.......

Totally Agreed Colin,
From what I could see on wis - you have to undo all (about 4 ) outer suspension struts and swing the wheel carrier out of the way. Hopefully At least the axle wont be jammed in the brand new Hub flange.

Absolutely know it was leak tight and bone dry when it came back from you, as I just found a pic I took to show the parts guy the cross tie strut that was rusty ( now replaced ) cos he didnt know what I meant. Plus currently the filler plug area is also bone dry too. See pic after I swapped the tie bar


I also had a pic taken for the wheel refurbisher to show the damaged flange hub, and in the right corner you can see a squeaky clean bone dry diff ... that was the day before they changed the flange hub. So I know MBS work was perfect
Be ringing you tomorrow to sort her out.

 

[Submariner1]

Well that is certainly one alternative to consider. I would get a quote from the independent and see what they recommend. You then have a basis for making a decision on what work to have done. You could also try tightening the drain and filler plugs then cleaning it to see how bad the leak is, as others have said.

All the issues apart from this leak, a £23 motion sensor cover dropping off, and a peice of cloth coming off the rear window seal were just getting a car up to its proper spec. And known issues re a leaking strut, paint flaws on the wheels, a faulty indicator light bulb unit, and wrong sized tyres etc.
Hardly reason to sell the car, especially as they are now done.
Most importantly imo I managed to do all the things within the Mercedes scheduled timeframe such as change the gearbox oil, and flush the ABC system, and keep my Mobilo breakdown and corrosion warranty.

I chose MBS as they do things properly, and I know he would have torqued the plug properly. Appreciate you havent met them, but they are an ace outfit.
Lets face it this guy lets them service his £300K SLS! Saw it with my own eyes.

 

[Submariner1]

Sub, can you get us a better pic of the driveshaft showing the CV? There are two types it seems and only one will be easy to get the driveshaft out.

Thanks LK but MBS have answered that and sadly they are right.

 

[Submariner1]

Get rid...this car is so full of problems.

Problems of things broken since 23rd September 2016

1. Failed Driveshaft seal ... Mb parts £18.69 plus labour
2. Peice of cloth came out of rear window seal, £8.90 special adhesive .
3. Squeaking brakes. £22 two new slider pin bushes, one corroded slider pin £11.40 £14 brake paste.
( excluded MB front pads at £57 as they were nearly gone when bought car.)
4. Plastic trim around the bonnet lock, £4.09 broke in cold weather.
5. New MB battery £109

Under £170 plus the labour to fit the axle seal and you would sell it for that .... :-/
To run a CL500 for 10 months ........ and the battery, worked it was just belt and braces as it was nearly 8 years old and I do low mileage.

**** me mate ... imo its Christmas!

Sure there were loads of questions to get the car up to dealer spec. And a list if stuff, B Service, Gearbox overhaul, brake fluid and rear diff fluid change, new ABC filter and ABC Flush, new front strut, get correct sized front tyres.
But known and accomodated for in the purchase price.

Virtually everything is sorted now, bar this speaker grill with glue on it.
And repainting the calipers after the paint reacted.

She drives like a new car, goes like stonk, uses zero oil, and gets pretty good mileage.
VFM ... best car I have had for 24 years.
And imo looks and feels lovely .

 

[KennyN]

If you zoom in on the pic there is a small nick in the rubber at the lowest point of the seal.

Kenny

 

[Submariner1]

If you zoom in on the pic there is a small nick in the rubber at the lowest point of the seal.

Kenny

Blimey
You must have stunning eye sight
I zoomed in and saw this


Is that what you meant ?
It sure looks like a nick to me. :-0

Hmm as its the lower exposed section ... a very sharp flint stone chip at high speed

 

[Submariner1]

Problem solved .... ( well technically just passed on ) booked in for Colin to replace.
Took his advice and will replace both sides. He can take off one side and move the diff over to get at the other one. So with circa one hour extra, there is a cost saving in Labour doing both at once.

And You know Sods law ... if you only do one ... a few month later sure as hell the other will fail.
But if you do both, the good one would probably have run on till 100,000 miles

 

[star]

Didn't you have a strut fail at one point? Or did you clean it up?

 

[Submariner1]

Didn't you have a strut fail at one point? Or did you clean it up?

yes One was leaking when I bought it.
And I had it replaced by MBS and the ABC fluid flushed and a new filter.
A First class job by the way

Some say you should replace them in pairs, but as the other one was dry. And the car now sits level ( per Star and My MBII ), doesnt drop a mm in the reservoir, has a clean ball joint with no play, and drives perfectly ... I didn't see the point.

If it fails then I will replace it. Dont fix what aint broke!

The original owner contributed £500 so not so painless.

( for those who are interested the strut is a genuine MB remanufactured , all they do now, from a main dealer at £870 after my discount. )