Maintaining or upgrading your vehicle’s drivetrain relies on the differential more so than on many other components. Smooth operation and proper power delivery to the wheels depend on the differential bearings in the system. As time passes, these bearings start to wear, so it’s often better to change them out with whole kits for the differential. Shoppers need to decide if they should replace their car parts with original parts from the factory or with other, aftermarket parts?
Choosing between them, you can decide which one suits your needs and helps maintain your budget.
What Are Differential Bearing Kits?
A typical differential bearing kit holds all the bearings, races, seals and occasionally shims needed to repair the bearings in a vehicle. This is to ensure the gears in the differential turn smoothly which influences how power is transferred to the drive wheels.
A broken or rubbing bearing may result in noisy and shaky operation, faster wear of gear teeth and in the end, total failure of the differential.
OEM Differential Bearing Kits: Reliability from the Source
The same company that made the original vehicle parts creates OEM kits as well. The parts in these kits are made according to the exact levels desired by the vehicle manufacturer.
Advantages of OEM Kits:
- Specific Fit: OEM kits are designed for your vehicle exactly, so they always fit well and maintain the same high performance.
- Tested and Trusted: Most of these parts are created under strict quality rules and are extensively tested.
- When you choose OEM parts, you can rely on the reliable and reassuring warranties.
Considerations:
- OEM kits are generally more costly than the alternatives you can find at a store or online.
- Sometimes, limited availability makes it difficult and time-consuming to order some OEM parts only from certain places.
Aftermarket Differential Bearing Kits: Variety and Value
These kits are developed by parties unrelated to the automaker who made the vehicle. Accessories in these kits can either be original parts or have better performance.
Advantages of Aftermarket Kits:
- Affordable: Usually a lower price, so they draw in customers who value cost or use their vehicles a lot.
- Some aftermarket kits come with extra materials or improved designs to make the drivetrain more durable or better suitable for demanding driving.
- Many places sell books and you have more choices and speedier delivery when shopping online.
Considerations:
- Not every aftermarket supplier is of high quality—some are low-quality as well. You should carefully select well known brands.
- Fitment Problems: There is a possibility that aftermarket kits will not match the manufacturer’s original standards and may need additional time to fit.
- There is a wide difference in the quality of warranties between brands and OEM parts.
Which One Should You Choose?
Most of the time, choosing between OEM and aftermarket differential bearing kits depends on what you value most: price, performance or staying worry-free.
Transportation engineers choose OEM if they need a guarantee on correct fitting, sure reliability and manufacture specifications. This applies most of all to cars that are still being covered by a warranty.
If you’re aiming to reduce expenses, get things fast or want to improve your car further, look for Aftermarket parts. This situation is best for skilled DIYers or people working on older cars.
Conclusion
OEM and aftermarket differential bearing kits are each valuable in automotive repair or replacement. If you consider how much a part costs, how good it is and how well it will fit your car, you’ll have an easier time picking the right one. Whatever repair you need, the suitable kit will fix the noises, assure smooth spinning and support top quality drivetrains.