HELP!!! My suspension might be shot HELP!!! Options

[k-weaver]

Ok so here is the story...

I took my car to meineke for the "free brake inspection", i just did this because i wanted to have my tires rotated and i didnt want to do it myself. Anyway, turns out that my car has got some major problems. Only thing is, I am not sure if this guy just wanted me to cough up some funds, or if he was legit.

Problem #1

The guy brought me over with my car on the lift and my front left CV joint was busted. All the grease poured out into the inside of my rim. So the joint is not being lubricated at all right now. The guy told me that he would have to replace the whole axel and total it would be 255.00 out the door. Do I need a new axel? Can the joint be replaced by itself? and is this a legit price?

Problem #2

The guy told me that the joint went bad because all four of my struts are bad and need to be replaced. So he said that he can do all four struts for $1,062. YIKES!!! That seems a little high to me??? So could this be a cause of my joint going out? and do all four need to be replaced?

Problem #3

This isn't really a BIG concern of mine, of course it needs to be fixed, it just does not have top priority. Turns out my rear brake rotors are bad, and my pads are just about to be bare metal. So I need new rotors and pads, he quoted me $260. This is probably something that I would end up doing though...Plus it gives me an excuse to buy drilled rotors

Problem #4

Guy told me that I was leaking oil. He said that he would need to replace the Valve cover gasket. As far as I know the car isn't leaking from there. Seems like if it were I would be able to see it dripping? If he needs to replace this, what could it possible be? He also said that I need a new oil pressure sending unit? I don't see why I would need one? Everytime I start my car the little oil light turns on, then shuts off in like 3 seconds. He quoted me $185 for this...

Grand total for everything on my car from this guy was $1,800 out the door. Seems like this is a little much to me? AND on top of this....the guy that put my rims back on over tightend the caps on the rims and I lost one. Im gonna go down there tommorrow, already called him, he said to come down and well see what we can do...

By the way, my car is a 1996 GT Hatch with 150,000 miles. Any help or insight would be great. I'm thinking of doing everything myself, just worried that something will go wrong, it always does...

[cheeco]

1. if the axle isnt clicking when you turn, the boot can be replaced. it is a complicated process since you have to disassemble the axle. the boot kit runs about $15, but the extra labor involved might not be worth it. most people just replace the axle since its fairly cheap.

2. worn shocks/struts will not cause the axle boot to tear. time and turning the steering wheel will. if the car doesnt feel bouncy and you dont hear all kinds of noise, your struts are probably ok. bounce the car at each corner. when you let go, if the car settles fairly quickly, the struts are ok. also you can check the cup area where the spring sits, if there is oily residue that means the strut is leaking and needs replacement.

3. unless the rotors are really rusty, or the guy busted out a rotor micrometer and measured the rotors, they can be resurfaced. even so, brembo oem replacement rotors are very cheap and good quality.

4. unless you got oil pouring out and have to constantly maintain it, i woudlent worry about fixing any leaks. chances are more than just the valve cover is leaking, and it will end up costing you more once they tear into it.