haha, sorry, im confusing you. the loose steering goes waaaay back to my original list of worries. I think you suggested that i'll need to change the struts on my car.

example of what i call loose steering: going on a freeway onramp, i turned my wheel about as much as i usually would, but then noticed i was about to hit the guardrail because the wheel didnt turn enough. I had to turn it more to correct it. steering wheel also feels loose, not as stiff as before...