What do you folks think of mercedes differentials? 70s,80s,90s heck even 50's and 00s. How do they stack up and how long do they last?

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A junkyard is not for junk

My diesel '99 e300 had 370k before the diff was replaced because it was skipping. My other '98 e300 i sold a few months ago had 350k on it and the gears were in great condition when I resealed it. The older diffs are just as solid. Differentials aren't hard to rebuild anyway comes to situation..

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Only diesels in this driveway.
2005 E320 CDI 243k Black/Black
2008 Chevy 3500HD Duramax 340k
2004 Chevy 2500HD Duramax 220k

My '87 190DT is prone to differential failures...I'm on my 3rd diff. It's the highest ratio Mercedes used in the period...2.65...and this may have something to do with it. Which reminds me...time for a fluid change.

The short answer is they last as long as the car with basic care and feeding. I'd take caution with how simple they are are reseal or rebuild. The axle seals are easy to replace. Properly tightening the pinion nut is both science and art and makes a world of difference in diff longevity. I'd live with a small pinion seal leak than touch it myself.

I'm curious of the point of the question. Interchange is limited between chassis series and the US got a limited range of ratios within each diff family. I doubt it's practical to swap a W100 diff into a W140 or a W212 diff into a W115. There's also a half dozen varieties of traction control (ASD, ASR, ESP, etc.), some of which require equipment external to the diff such as a hydraulic system.

Sixto
83 300SD can be yours
98 E320 wagon

Up through the 123 and 126 the diffs are very very tough. The one in my 124 did not seem up to snuff. I had to change it and it had less than 200K on it.

My other 124 which I sold to sloride is still going strong at 240K as far as I know.

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[SIGPIC] Diesel loving autocrossing grandpa Architect. 08 Dodge 3/4 ton with Cummins & six speed; I have had about 35 benzes. I have a 39 Studebaker Coupe Express pickup in which I have had installed a 617 turbo and a five speed manual.[SIGPIC]

..I also have a 427 Cobra replica with an aluminum chassis.

How tough are the hulls/ housings? Do you think tapping a rock at 10mph would do any damage? My friend's honda accord cracked its housing on a gravel road going around 15mph. I take steps to avoid this kind of scenario, but I was wondering how many water tight doors I would have before I go under. Would a bump like this jar anything loose or out of adjustment if it didn't crack it? Would I have signs? My 3.07 is near perfect, but I know it might have had a few close calls before. (rest in piece original oil pan.)

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A junkyard is not for junk

The housing is pretty tough. I'd say you might very well dent the body of the car where it bolts up before cracking the housing.

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[SIGPIC] Diesel loving autocrossing grandpa Architect. 08 Dodge 3/4 ton with Cummins & six speed; I have had about 35 benzes. I have a 39 Studebaker Coupe Express pickup in which I have had installed a 617 turbo and a five speed manual.[SIGPIC]

..I also have a 427 Cobra replica with an aluminum chassis.

I split a housing. Not from road debris. A carrier bearing gave up and bits went balistic. Scariest breakdown ever.