Can I take just the essentials to a mechanic for rear wheel bearing replacement?
 

I was wondering how I can save on labor costs regarding a rear wheel bearing replacement on my 85 300TD. By the looks of what Ive read, it can be a tricky job that you cant just do on your front driveway with a ratchet set.

Im wondering if Theres a way to take the rear axles or simply a certain part of the rear wheel assembly that would not be so complicated to take off to a mechanic and they do the rest.

Any ideas?

What have some of you paid or what do you think a reasonable charge for a rear wheel bearing replacement would be.

i think the only feasible way to take it to a mechanic would be to remove the hub and lower control arm assembly. But that clearly would not be worth it. I'd just take the car to the mechanic or buy the tool. That job is rare enough that I'd probably have a shop do it.

any parts yards near you with 123's in them? the lca with the hub is an easier swap than the bearing.
the DIY here shows what's involved in the repair.

I replace a Cracked Rear Trailing Arm with a used one and have had no problems with it for 3+.
Mine cost more because I bought it from a Salvage Yard that removed it and shipped it to me. At the time the cost was $125.
I suppose there is some risk of getting another Rear Trailing Arm that has a Bad Bearing but some Junk Yards you can buy insurance on it and return and get another if the first is bad. However, You need to get the Junk Yard Arm on and get it on the Road within a few week (you need to find out how long the warranty is) and get it tested.

You should various shops and see what the Labor Charge is going to be. If you Call instead of going there you will not be under pressure to have the work done there.

If you Turn the job over to someone the one Special Tool the have to have is the Pin Wrench for the Nut. They need a Dial Indicator and knowlege of how to use it.
If they do not have a way to attach a Slide Hammer to the Hub they are going to need an Old Brake Roto so that they can Beat the Hub out.
I believe either way is going to damage both Bearing Sets.

Parts. Inner and outer Bearing Sets, inner and outer seals, a new Lock Ring for the Nut. Depending on the condition of the Nut you may also need a new nut.

Note: if the Shop tries to Punch out the Hub the threaded area is so thin that there is a high chance they will damage the hub. New Hubs are over $300.

Cost. I bet for the Labor and part cost you could buy 3-4 used Rear Trailing Arms if you did as I did and bought them from a place that pulled it for you.
You could get way more Arms than that if you pulled the Rear Trailing Arms off yourself.

So cost verses risk seems to slighlty favor a used Rear Trailing Arm.

I have never installed new Rear Bearings but I did buy the Pin Wrench and remove the still Good Hub from my cracked Rear Trailing Arm. I did that with the Arm off of the Car. It would be easier for them to Beat the Hub off if it was still attached to the Car.

A few more comments; I have changed Rear Wheel Bearings on other Cars and it was a lot easier compared to what you need to do with a Mercedes. To me this means that if I decided to take it to a shop it would have to be a shop that had experience with W123 Mercedes and the Tools needed.
If a Shop takes the job thinking it is going to be the same as other Cars I believe they are going to make a mess of the Job. In particular they I believe they would damage the Hub or not set the Bearing Clearance/End Play correctly.
Or they might not ever put enough extra Grease inside of the Bearing Housing.

DONT GO THERE, get the parts from a car at the JY.