Method for prolonging the life of a product and a remanufactured product

A method for prolonging the service life of a product that is subjected to Hertzian contact stress when in use and which includes a metal surface having a plurality of damaged regions each comprising a crater having a shoulder at an end of the crater, the method comprising:

• processing the metal surface to remove the shoulders and a first part of each of the craters to produce a remanufactured surface having a plurality of reduced-depth craters,
• obtaining information about the plurality of reduced-depth craters,
• using said information to estimate potential stress concentrations that are detrimental to lubrication conditions and/or fatigue life of said remanufactured metal surface using analytical modelling,
• providing a prediction of the performance of said remanufactured product based on said estimation,
• further processing the remanufactured surface to further reduce the depth of the reduced- depth craters if the prediction is below a predetermined threshold, and
• associating documentation of the prediction with the product.