Repair shops can nearly double the prices of parts.. the same parts you get from autozone, discount, etc. It's a markup. It's normal. It's like getting your groceries at the gas station.. it's a convenience charge. Simple solution would be to buy them yourself and bring them to the shop, but they usually frown at this if they'll do it at all. Most likely they will tell you that they'll do it without any warranty in the parts.. labor only.. meaning if they screwed up installing it, then they'll warrant labor to reinstall, but you pay for the new part again. why should they pay for a part they didn't sell to you. It's really not fair for both parties when you buy the parts 3rd party yourself. Really, your bearings likely just need greased and tightened, not replaced. As said, regular servicing will yield long life from bearings. The idler arms will wear out on our steering setup (parallelogram) which is normal. Replacing them does not require an alignment, though it's suggested due to the fact that it's been a while since it's been aligned.. I gaurantee you it hasn't been aligned in a while because an alignment tech won't set the alignment while there's front end play like that. makes it impossible to hold alignment. once the idler is replaced, alot of your RF play is reduced. Usually pitman's don't wear out nearly as often. I am ASE cert. in Steering & Suspension and used to be an alignment/brake tech at Sears. I left for a more small town family operated shop. less corp crap.. anyway. front end work isn't too bad on our rigs with a little knowledge and proper tools.. nothing really special. Doing the Bearings really only requires sockets and some screwdrivers.. Remove wheel, remove 4wd hub, see Phillips head screw(s) inside? care not to strip, remove screws and the retainer, now you're at the nut that tightens the bearings. should turn between a 1/4 to full turn before snugging.. not tight. then reinstall retainer with screws, reinstall hub (if vacuum hub reseal it with light rtv silicone), reinstall wheel. done. Check your work before and after.. put your hands at 12 and 6 o-clock on the tire while it's off the ground and wiggle the wheel/tire. notice play? needs tightening.. after tightening, play should be reduced. you may still have some minor play which is acceptable, but you should barely be able to see it. then check at 3 and 9 o-clock and shake back and forth.. play? that's either tie-rod, idler, etc. Tip: to take the idler out of the centerlink, hit the center link with a hammer around where the bolt goes through the centerlink. This distorts the press fitment and the idler falls out of the centerlink (after you remove the nut of course). Best tool is a pickle fork and hammer. air hammer with a pickle fork bit works even faster. and PB blaster. torch also helps. wish I could help ya do it. That's my line of work. For a fellow sportage owner I'd do it for fun. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />