Differentials? Same car different country of manufacture

[steelepulse]

I need to get a second hand differential as the last one just went.  New price quoted was 95K, while used was 22K.  However, when I check on ebay, I can get the part and pay for shipping for about 10K. ( As an aside, I needed new second hand seat belts and local price was 9K, while ebay was 1800 baht plus 1200 shipping).

 

Question is, if a Thai manufactured car would have the same differential as a US/European made car.  Vehicle in question is an older 5 series.

 

 

[transam]

Breakers yard....

[steelepulse]

1 hour ago, transam said:

Breakers yard....

Got any handy name and numbers?  I'm sure that's who my local garage probably called up in BKK and got the prices for second hand and new.  Amazing how much more used car parts are here than on ebay.

[KhunBENQ]

Is it easy to get that through customs?

 

I regularly watch a German TV series where some "car doctors" work on "hopeless cases".

You wouldn't believe how often the root cause are crappy cheap replacement parts.

[steelepulse]

Yes, easy to get through customs when you use ebay and their global shipping option which (supposedly) covers everything.

 

Back to subject at hand, anyone know if differential will fit up on a Thai manufactured 5 series if it comes from the US?  Seems German ebay sellers won't ship to TH.

[transam]

Can I ask what went wrong with the diff exactly..?

[steelepulse]

4 hours ago, transam said:

Can I ask what went wrong with the diff exactly..?

It went out.  Running a lot of hp through it and I heard a loud bang and lost all forward motion.

[transam]

10 hours ago, steelepulse said:

It went out.  Running a lot of hp through it and I heard a loud bang and lost all forward motion.

Hmmm, if you turn the drive shaft by hand can you feel the pinion gear turning the crown wheel..?

Usually rear end failure due to HP is the half shaft(s) shearing, but you would hear a lot of after noise with that..

[steelepulse]

Defintely heard a lot of noise also.  My garage sent my Mrs pictures of it.  

 

So it appears nobody knows if differentials are the same or different between US made 5 series and Thai made 5 series?  Guess I'll have to spend the extra cash for a beat up used Thai differential.  95K for a new one seems over the top.

[steelepulse]

Here's a follow up to this.  I went to a BMW forum and was told differentials will be the same no matter where they were originally manufactured.  So I ordered a (supposedly) low mile differential off of ebay in the US and had it shipped over.  

 

Differential fit just fine and I'm back on the road.  Total price even after paying import taxes came to around 12K.