I have a car that stopped working - the key wouldn’t turn in the ignition. It was towed to the local dealer. I just got off the phone with the mechanic. I was told that I need a new lock cylinder.
In addition - they say I need new struts for the suspension, fuel filter and coolant fluid cleaning. All of these little extras would add about $400.00 to the bill.
My question to those who know such things is- how important are these things? Are they nice to have, crucial for safe driving, or needless crap they are trying to sucker me for?
If your struts have never been replaced, and the car has 50,000+ miles on it, then those should be replaced (although AFAIK it won’t be a safety issue if you don’t).
Engine coolant replacement is called for at 45K miles, then every 30K miles after that. Its looking dirty is often a sign that it’s due (or past due) for service, but the more reliable guides are the mileage and its pH (acidity level). Coolant does get progressively more acidic with time, and past a certain point fosters corrosion that can lead to expensive repairs.
Fuel filter replacement is called for every 30K miles. Fuel filters do get restricted, which can eventually cause performance problems even to the point of the engine being unable to run. It can also overburden the fuel pump and shorten its life, which is a fairly expensive repair. It costs almost as much to test the fuel filter for restriction as to replace it, so it makes sense to replace it when called for.
Struts weaken over time (mileage, actually). Past a certain point, this can cause excessive tire wear and affect handling/roadholding. It can get to a point of being downright dangerous. The pertinent question is how worn are they, which we can’t know. The mileage would give us some idea of the likelihood of their being significantly worn.