If your engine and transmission are in great shape, but you haven't checked on your rear differential and CV axles, you may want to do that soon. An under-appreciate part of rear-wheel drive vehicles, the differential and axles take on a huge amount of vibrational stress and torque. It's true that these older Mercedes axles and differentials were built extraordinarily well, but that means that their maintenance is likely to have been neglected. We regularly see original axles that have gone 300k+ miles and are still alive. The issue is less with the axle joints and shafts than with the rubber boots, which simply cannot last 30-40 years. Luckily we offer an affordable option that's better quality than aftermarket axles: we sell rebuilt OEM CV axles that we disassemble, thoroughly inspect, and then add new boots and grease. For these original "can-style" axles you will need to remove the differential cover in order to replace them.

For that reason, it's great to service and inspect your CV axles and your differential at the same time, as it can be half a day to get them separated. If your differential is in good shape, then it's a good time for a drain and fill. If not, then we have a number of used OEM Mercedes differentials for a variety of gear ratios. Don't forget to check the rubber parts before replacement, as you may need a new differential mount or new flex joint discs on the driveshaft.
AND, at the moment we have the holy grail of the OM617 turbo-diesel upgrade--a 2.88 differential. We get a LOT of requests for them and we rarely have them in stock, so we expect this one to sell as soon as this newsletter goes out.