The differential of your vehicle is the gear box that is located between your vehicle’s drive wheels. This is what allows the drive wheels to turn at different speeds at certain times, for example when you are turning a corner. A typical differential comprises of several gears of different sizes which work together. All of these gears much remain lubricated during use and this lubrication is called the differential fluid.
As you keep driving, high temperatures in the differential can affect the lubricating fluid and cause it to break down, resulting in it becoming thick and gummy. This gummy fluid cannot lubricate the gears as it should. When gears are not sufficiently lubricated there is excessive wear and corrosion of the gears, causing them to get prematurely worn out.
Replacing the fluid regularly can help prevent premature wear on the gears in the differential and it also helps reduce wear on the drive-wheel tires.
Many vehicle manufacturers recommend that the differential fluid should be changed after about 24,000 km to 48,000 km or sooner. This figure could vary for different vehicles.
Remember, failure to do a differential fluid flush in time could lead to more expensive repair work down the line. It’s not worth putting it off. For the safety and life of your vehicle, it is important to get a differential fluid service as part of your regular maintenance schedule. When you bring your vehicle in to Orleans AutoPro for a differential flush, we remove the old differential fluid and replace it with new differential fluid based on your vehicle manufacturer’s recommendations.