How do I get the spring wire clamp back on my washer door seal?

Been there, done the bleeding cuticles thing. The trick that finally worked for me: don't start at the top. Start at the top, yes, but save the hardest part for last, which means work the spring down both sides evenly and save the last section for the bottom, then use two flathead screwdrivers (or better, a set of small picks) to lever that last 4 or 5 inches over the lip. One screwdriver holds the allready-seated part from popping off while the other drags the wire over. The risk of puncturing the rubber is real, so wrap the tips in a bit of electrical tape and work with the screwdriver angled along the rubber, not stabbing into it. Go slow and you'll be fine.

The bunching problem is usually beacuse the boot itself isn't fully seated in its groove before you start on the spring. Run your thumb around the whole channel first and make sure the rubber is sitting evenly in the lip all the way around, with the drain hole at the bottom. If the boot is tucked right, the spring has a defined groove to snap into and it fights you way less. I actually used a few clothespins to keep the rubber folded into the channel while I worked the wire around, sounds dumb but it stopped the fold-under problem completley. Also, if you can grab a helper, have them hold the spring's tension at the top with a couple of fingers while you work the sides. That's honestly half the battle. The spring wants to slip back off the section behind it, and a second pair of hands keeping tension means you're not chasing it around the circle.

It is absolutely doable solo though. My second attempt took about ten minutes once I had the boot seated properly and used the two-screwdriver trick at the end. You're close, don't pay anyone for this.

I'd push back on finishing at the bottom. That's exactly where the drain port makes the rubber thickest and stiffest, so you're saving your hardest fight for the spot with the worst access. I always start at the bottom where the channel is obvious and easy to see, then come up both sides and finish at the top where everything's open and visible. No tools needed that way either, just thumbs. Also, warm the rubber first with a hair dryer for a minute or two. Cold rubber fights you, warm rubber rolls into the channel like it wants to be there. Made a huge difference on my machine.

One thing I'd add after doing this on my own machine last spring is that the wire itself has a correct orientation, the coil end with the little tapered hook or crimped joint belongs at the bottom near the drain port, and if you install it upside down the tension never feels right no matter how well you seat it. I also mark the spring's original position on the rubber with a bit of masking tape before I ever pull it off, so when I go back on I know it hasn't rotated around and gone off balance. A flashlight check around the finished circumference helps too, since a section that looks snapped in can actually be riding half out of the channel and pop loose two washes later.

First post here so hope this is useful. I ran into the same fold-under problem but on a dishwasher door gasket, and what saved me was warming the rubber with a hairdryer for a minute or two first. Cold rubber seems way stiffer, once it's warm it tucks into the channel much easier. Not sure if the washer seal is the same material but might be worth a try before the screwdrivers come out. Also chiming in on the helper point, my wife just held the loose side while I worked and it went from impossible to easy, so if anyone in your house owes you a favor now is the time.

Before I even got to the spring part I made the mistake of doing this crouched down with the machine shoved against the wall. Pulled the washer out so I could spin it and work at eye level instead, huge difference, my arms stopped dying after ten minutes. One thing worrying me though, my spring feels like it stretches easier now than when I took it off. Is that normal from all the pulling, or did I wreck the tension and need a new one?

Update: the hairdryer tip was a game changer, warm rubber tucks into the groove way easier. Still fighting the spring itself though. Now I'm torn because one poster says finish at the bottom and another says start there since it's thickest by the drain port. For those who've done it, which end actually gave you less grief?