Dana 30 gear noise

Well, I just got a call from the dealer where I took the GC this morning, and of course they now insist that they can't just set the pinion bearing preload like they agreed to, they have to take the entire diff apart because there are "internal problems". The revised estimate is for 6.5 hours + parts. Naturally, this completely defeats the purpose of my swapping in a known good axle (still under warranty), which was to avoid having to pay for the bearings in the original to be replaced. After spending so much of my precious time on this, then being forced to cover a monstrous repair bill anyway, I don't know any swear words sufficient to express the way I'm feeling right now.

/Peter

I would have taken it to an axle shop, not the dealer. The service writer and service manager are commissioned and they're not exactly immune to the temptation to jack up the cost of an otherwise minor repair if they think they can get away with it.

Jerry

Peter P> Well, I just got a call from the dealer where I took the GC this morning,

Sound advice, and I would have done so, if there were an axle shop anywhere around here. Are you sure the service writers and managers are all commissioned in Ontario, Canada?

/Peter

A lot of people also have the mistaken assumption that dealer service departments are staffed with mechanics. Most have one mechanic and 10-15 "technicians."

As for specialty shops (in this case a frame and axle shop) they only stay in business because they have a reputation to bale to handle any problem quickly. Good dealerships subcontract to speciality shops for difficult repairs.

How do you identify a good specialty shop?

1. The place will be dirty, no... it will be filthy. The cleanest the shop has ever been was during construction.
2. The boss will look like he just lost a wrestling match in the grease pit and he is the cleanest one there.
3. Standard headgear advertises chewing tobacco or farm machinery
4. Mechanical equipment you have never seen before is hanging from the walls, and much of it looks custom made.
5. The other guys waiting around are mechanics from other garages

Rotf, lmao! But true.

Earle

Apparently all the bearings in the diff are shot, because "they had metal run through them", because the "pinion was too tight". I'm going to demand to have the old bearings back before leaving the place.

/Peter