1989 Chevy Astro Rear Door Handle -- Hard To Open

The rear handle will have to be replaced, if broken it probably cant pull the lock rods all the way making it difficult to open. The side door...... Is the latch assembly working ok or does the striker need to be adjusted out so the latch can hook it easier? (have to slam it to ge it to latch)

The sliding door had to be slammed several times before we could get it to shut. Since then, no one has been allowed to open the door again. I ran across a man who had an old Astro van with the same problem. He said the alignment of his sliding door dropped down. For a while he would pull up on the door to get his to shut. Later, even that became too difficult and he resorted to the same as me - never use it again.

Since I have power door locks, I'm too skeptical of doing the work myself. So I dread at how much this is going to cost me (single mom, -n all). Love my kids. I prove that every time I have to pay for everything they break (*sigh*). :roll:

BTW- About how much should it cost to have a handle replaced? I can get the handle cheaper myself, but it's the labor and how much time I'll be charged.

My labor guide doesnt list a particular time for door handle replacement, to replace the actuator is only .7 hrs. The handle cant be too far off that, figure around an hour or so of the shops labor at whatever they charge per hour