W210 ('99 E430) Rear Wheel Bearing Replacement

[Hirnbeiss]

Can someone give me the real scoop on this operation? I've perused the threads for a while, and it's not totally clear. I see three ways of doing it:

1. Replace bearing without removing the wheel carrier. This requires a special tool for pulling the hub, and one for extracting the bearing. No one has the special tool shown in the MB manual, and the SIR tools model is apparently not ready for double-row bearings.

2. Remove wheel carrier and have the bearing and wheel-flange pressed in and out. Can all machine shops do this, or will some not be able to handle the MB hub? Need a wheel alignment after installation.

3. Replace the wheel carrier and bearing as an assembly. Presumably this is ridculously expensive, but with MB dealers charging $80+ for the job it might be a viable route.

Thanks in advance.

Tom