rear wheel bearing
 

I went to replace the rear brakes on my 01 Boxster S and jacked up the drivers side and behold some play with the wheel on. So I have to replace the rear wheel bearing. Is this a big job? Should I replace the other side as well. Car has 100,000 miles on it. Is this a common wear item on older Boxster's? Ahh the fun of spring car maintenance.

I've got (I believe) a similar issue with a front bearing. From what I've read, it's not too terribly bad IF you have the right tools (ie, the SIR wheel bearing kit), which are a bit pricey. Getting the axle nut off I guess is a challenge as well---it's supposed to be torqued to something over 300 ft-lb, IIRC.

You'll get more complete answers from those who've done it, most likely. Also, check out:

http://www.pelicanparts.com/techarticles/Boxster_Tech/40-TRANS-Wheel_Bearings/40-TRANS-Wheel_Bearings.htm

I just had all four wheel bearings done. I lack the tools and the inclination to DIY. $1200

That was done by an indy I assume? I had the stealership quote me somewhere around $1000 just for the one front bearing :eek:

Yep, the same shop that does all my suspension setup work. They already had it on the rack so it was a "while you are in there" deal. One bearing had noticeable slop and two were getting noisy.
The bearings are only about $60 ea. Figure about 2-3 hours per wheel.

Thanks for the replies, I will let you know how it turns out. The brake job I could handle no problem but I am letting a local shop (Accumoto) tackle this one. There was no warning or signs until I jacked up the wheel and took the load off it. It seemed fine last year and I just took the car out of storage. It was explained to me that moisture can get in there and do some damage over a winter storage period.

It's posts like this that I thank my lucky stars that I bought a used SIR bearing removal kit from a forum member. $1,000-$1,200 repair bills suck.

Jax---have you used it yet?? If so, how was the experience?

Has anyone tried the homemade bearing puller posted on rennlist?

http://forums.rennlist.com/rennforums/964-forum/498717-wheel-bearing-puller-home-made.html

No, I have not used it yet. I'm one of those guys that believes in always being prepared. I can say that if there's a home made apparatus out there, it better be made good. The SIR puller is, no exaggeration, built like a brick ********************house!! The "horse shoe" itself must weigh 12-15 lbs.