Advice needed replacing A3 brakerotors and strut mounts.

I just took my '98 Jetta TDI (w/ 87k miles) to Firestone for a
maintenance inspection to get my annual PA state inspection sticker
(after getting cited yesterday for it being expired). They denied
passing my vehicle and found (surprise, surprise...) that the
following needed immediate correction:

1) streaking windshield wiper blade
2) a burned out driving light
3) front brake rotors are thin & need replacing
4) front strut mounts need replacing

To correct these items they are asking a mere $561.68, which
(surprise, surprise...) I find unacceptable.

I would like fix these items myself. The first two are easy, the 3rd I
haven't done before but I have replaced the pads once and I assume I
can do the rotors myself if they aren't too rusted to the wheel hubs.

But I'd like the groups advice on the following:

-Does it really make a difference if I buy a cheap pair of new rotors
from says PEP Boys vs. the OEM ones from the VW dealer? (I don't think
I'll have time to mail order these items from Impex, etc.)

-I've never done any suspension work before, but from reading the
Bentley manual, it appears that I'll need 3 new tools (VW524 for the
top retaining nut, the VW3078 for the flange nut on top of the strut,
and a spring compressor) just to replace the $2.87 strut mount
bushings. Is there any way around this? Should I go ahead and replace
the strut bearing as well while everything is disassembled? Should I
consider getting new shock absorber inserts too? Also, why can't I
just use a regular 21mm /22mm socket instead of the open wall
specialty tool VW3078?

I'd like to learn these new repairs as I plan to keep this car for a
long time and will likely need to replace the shocks in the future (&
thus perhaps justify the tool purchases), but I'm short on time, I
don't have a indoor workspace (and more rain is forecasted) and don't
know how involved these repairs might become. It seems strange that I
have to remove the entire strut assembly just to replace the mounts!

The good news is, at least I bought a lifetime alignment from
Firestone awhile ago!

Any other advice for these repairs for shadetree mechanic would be
appreciated. If some knows of an online FAQ w/ pictures that'd be
great too. I Google-searched but didn't find much.

Thanks!