i brought my 190e2.6 to the benz service center for them to diagnose the rear axle noise i have been having for a while, and after a road test and testing the car on the hoist, they determined that the noise was coming from the differential unit.

now this seems to be a bearing noise, because there is no difference in noise pitch/tone when you gas the car and engine-brake it (it has a 5spd manual), or if you disengage the clutch. Also, there is no oil leak from the unit.

i set up an appointment to bring the car in at the earliest possible date, but this is 2weeks from now.

my question is: can i safely drive the car even with the differential noise? The noise has slightly increased after about 2000km of driving it after first noticing it. Will the differential "eat itself up" if i just continue to drive it for 2 weeks? I cover about 100km a week.