Viva la Differential

With front-wheel drive being so common these days, the differential is just taken care of during a transmission service at Diamond Head Motors 2006 Ltd, so most Squamish drivers don’t even have to think about it. And most rear-wheel drive differentials don’t need to be serviced for many kilometers, so it’s understandable that it’s not something on the top of mind for Squamish drivers. So it’s not uncommon for Squamish drivers to not know they have a differential let alone know that it needs service.

To better understand what a differential does, think about a high school track. There are lanes marked off on the track. For the longer distance races, the starting lines are staggered. The starting lines for the outside lanes are ahead of the starting lines for the inside lanes. That’s to compensate for the longer length of the outside lanes. Staggering the starting lines means that each runner has the same distance to run.

The differential compensates for the difference in speeds on drive wheels between the inside wheel and the outside wheel in a turn, because they have to travel together through slightly different distances.

Differentials do a lot of work for Squamish drivers and require very heavy duty parts. And those parts need protection. The differential fluid lubricates the gears in the differential and keeps them cool. The fluid eventually gets dirty and worn down. Some kinds of differentials require special additives that breakdown over time. So automobile manufacturers recommend intervals for replacing your differential fluid.

Your Diamond Head Motors 2006 Ltd service advisor will drain the used fluid and check it out for metal bits, which could be a sign of excessive wear on the gears. He’ll then replace the fluid and install the additives if necessary.

Squamish drivers's four wheel drive vehicles need special attention to their differentials because they have a differential on both the front and rear axles that work at different times and sometimes under heavy loads – so they may need to be serviced at different intervals.

Your Diamond Head Motors 2006 Ltd service advisor can look up the car maker’s recommended service interval or you can check your owner’s manual.

Stop by or give us a call.

Diamond Head Motors 2006 Ltd
1008 Industrial Way
Squamish, BC V8B 0G9
604-892-3365

At Diamond Head Motors 2006 Ltd we install quality NAPA replacement parts.