Sounds like possibly wheel bearings and new shocks. When it get "loose" like that after hitting bumps, as if you were being blown around by wind, then i would say the suspension for sure needs to be gone through. Bushing, bearings, and shocks. In the front you could do the samething and replace the ball joints and tie rods also. I would by all of the components myself from ecstuning.com and take them to the mechanic that you wnat to have the work done by. This will save you some money, get what you want, and no tlet the mechanic rip you off for the price of sub-par parts.

I was thinking about changing the rear wheel bearing myself. How difficult a job is that? I'm good with my hands but have very little car maintenance experience. I've basically checked levels and belts and changed tires, but that's pretty much it.

Could really do with saving the cash on a mechanic, but I need to get this fixed before my wheel comes off out on the road. Would value your opinion on this.

Thanks again.

We all love doing things ourselves to save some money. Wheel bearings are not usually a hard thing to do but can become frusterating to try to get apart very quickly. I have not worked on this model in particularly, but you may need a bearing puller and have to remove lower ball joints to get it out. I would recommend getting a repair manual from the local auto store and taking a look at it before you just start on it. It is a small investment of usually about $20 and can save you valueable time and headaches. It will also provide step by step instuctions on how to do the job. Good Luck