DIY Front wheel bearings - worth it ??

Well it's all done.

New bearings, seals and an outer axle boot. Most of the front end noise is gone and the play in the wheel is gone . I presume remaining noise is coming from the other front wheel but it is not enough to worry about yet.

Reassembly went much faster than disassembly. The strut (which I had so much trouble getting apart) went back in easily by placing a floor jack under the knuckle and lifting up while guiding the strut stub.

I used the washer/spacer technique for pulling the axle through and that worked very well. Hammer /screwdriver suggestions didn't work at all for me.

Other problems I had to resolve along the way included:

-- questions on seal installation, covered in a sidebar thread here:

http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=135413

-- banding on the boot replacement. The bands included in the kit required a special tool which I bought. Tried to use it and it just tore the buckles right off the bands. I returned the tool and bought some universal bands from Autozone for $3. No special tools required and they worked.

Extra costs incurred for the project were:

-- replacement bands = $3,

-- 36mm socket =$17

-- gas for extra trips to the parts store= $20

-- big washers/spacer for axle pull =$5

With the original $36 for parts the total project cost out of pocket was $81