Just got done doing the axle seal and boy was it a big PITA! For some reason my 2005 STI didn't have a pin in the axle so in order to make room for it I had to pretty much remove everything other then the control arm.
Fun times!
At least the axle popped out with ease using a pry bar. I was worried I'd need to put a lot of force on it, but nope, came out easily.