Are these suspension components as bad as the repair shop says they are? (pictures included)

[ReaperHWK]

Correct. Complete strut assembles are not available through GM. Strut springs may or may not be available for your model year (no longer available for my 07, but Moog makes a compatible spring). If you hear the compressor turn on in the first minute of starting the truck after an overnight sit, then your compressor may be OK. If you don't hear the compressor turn on, then its probably shot, due to overheating, trying to inflate a shock air bladder that is torn.

And, as @Doubeleive stated, if you do any wrenching, you can perform the removal and reinstallation yourself with a jack and jack stands and a few simple wrenches.

Honestly replacing the rear shocks is such an easy job. It’s literally remove and replace.

The fronts are much harder.

 

[ClassFAirspace]

Correct. Complete strut assembles are not available through GM. Strut springs may or may not be available for your model year (no longer available for my 07, but Moog makes a compatible spring). If you hear the compressor turn on in the first minute of starting the truck after an overnight sit, then your compressor may be OK. If you don't hear the compressor turn on, then its probably shot, due to overheating, trying to inflate a shock air bladder that is torn.

And, as @Doubeleive stated, if you do any wrenching, you can perform the removal and reinstallation yourself with a jack and jack stands and a few simple wrenches.

Definitely plan doing it myself on a weekend. Wrenching is therapeutic to me, saves me money, and gains me some knowledge I can pass on to the kids some day. There's an auto hobby shop on base that only charges a few bucks an hour to use their lift, so I'll likely take it there instead of tackling this on my sloped driveway.

Total damage for front, rear, and some other suspension components is around $2,500 on Rock Auto. Paying a shop would easily be over $5,000, so this is money well saved in my book and nobody will ever care more about a job getting done the right way here than me.

Thank you guys again for all the advice.