Idler Arm and Pitman Arm

[Decoy2]

Hello,
A friend turned me on to this great site..
Lately I've noticed that when I hit a bump/hole in the road that I hear what sounds like sort of a rattle noise from the left front of my 99 Suburban...
I tried to look under as good as I could (without a lift) anyway, I took it in today for an oil change and had the guys to rotate the tires...(thinking he would find the issue, I did not mention it until he was going to take it off the rack) so after I mentioned it he said I'll take a look at it, in less than 3-4 minutes, he pulls it around and said the Idler and Pitman arms were very loose and would need to be replaced....Someone else was waiting to get their vehicle, so I just left thinking I would call tomorrow to try to find out more about getting it fixed...Have any of you guys had this issue?
I've fixed minor stuff (alt,fuel filter, very easy things) is this something that I should stay away from? Anyone give me a time estimate? Should I take it to someone else for a second opinion?

Thanks,
Decoy

[BlueTahoe]

Apparently this is a common issue with chevy trucks. I just got my 99 tahoe back from a very trustworthy mechanic and was told the same thing is wrong with mine. He has a 98 silverado and he said the pitman and idler arm wear out by the time they hit 100-125k miles. If this is something you are interested in doing yourself, here is a great site to get you started. http://aplsweb.com/Topics/Steering.htm

[Decoy2]

Thanks. Well it fits right into that mile range...about 118k..

I'll check out that link.

Thanks again,
Decoy