PS rack seals

[nisan17]

I have a PS leak in my 98 ML 320 with 168k, and the mechanic says the outside rack seals are leaking. Says this is an all day job just to replace the seals (if he can-he's checking) because he has to like drop the whole front end. The mechanic claims to have worked on MLs frequently at a different shop.

Question: is this true, and is this common for this age vehicle? Could PS fluid be lost at that location?

Thanks in advance