rear diff noise

Oil is cheap. Change it again and examine it for any metal debris or glinting. If its clean then whilst not definate it a good indicator of reasonable condition.

Did you change the diff oil originally because of the noise or has the noise appeared since the oil change?
Just try to establish the time line.
Sorry to ask this but you did use the correct oil grade?

Just covering everything.

Mike

I thought I had diff issues, actually turned out to be the rear bearings.

changed oil in diff as i thought it sounded noisy , since then , appears to be getting louder but still wonder it is rear wheel bearings !!

don`t want to chuck a diff in it and find noise is still there , likewise as rear bearings ( with abs ring ) is £70+ a side , don`t want to just to change them either , bloody cars !!!

how did you discover it was bearings not diff ???

If the wheel bearings are not showing any signs of problems, eg movement or rough feeling when rotated then the only option is to go old school.
You need one of these and have a listen to each side as you turn the wheels.

Mechanics stethoscope.
Very effective at locating the source of those strange noises. If your bearings are ok I would expect both sides to sound much the same, one side louder than the other it's likely the loud one is on the way out. If you hear a rumble on both sides have a listen to the diff area to see if it's the source. Not much money, about £6.50 on Amazon, a worthy item in the tool box even if it's no help this time.