Aging 2004 Tahoe dilemma

[M1Gunner]

I need to have my rear differential replaced on my 2004 Tahoe with 197000 miles. It is expected to cost around 1500-1600 and the idea of repairing it ourselves is not an option. Is there anyone that has experienced this natural slow death of their vehicle with this high mileage that saw the life of their vehicle extended for a good amount of time? Or does everything just start going down from here? Can anyone give me a "ballpark" timeline as to how much more life we have with this vehicle? The transmission was replaced in 2015, so I'm not worried about that as much as the steering,suspension,driving, etc. Thanks for any advice! We also have twin babies, so safety is important to us, and our next purchase would have to be another suv or minivan (the minivan i would not be so excited to buy, but it is more economical)

Well... I just bought a rebuild kit from Napa with all bearings races seals crush sleeve and rebuilt it. The kit was maybe 150 if I remember right?

 

[retiredsparky]

On the subject of drivetrain: GM transfer case lube pump problems are not uncommon. So for you 4WD owners, you should google this issue. When I tore apart mine (2005 with 150K miles), the thrust clip was severely worn. I don't know how much longer it would have lasted before the gear would start grinding through the case. I replaced the clip with a thrust washer and reassembled with new seals. Down time was two days.

I looked at the less than $100 cost for washer and new lube as insurance against a $2K replacement cost in the future. An independent shop will do the same job for about $600 in one day.