Dodge Repair: heater core: 00 Dakota

Question
My dad has a 2000 Dodge Dakota pickup.  He's been told he needs to replace his heater core.  Is that a necessity, or can he keep driving without heater or air.....

Answer
Hi Nada,
It depends upon where he is living. Not having any heat can be difficult, and of course the moderation of temperature is done by sending air over in differing flows rates to the heater core and the a/c expansion core so the pure cold a/c can be hard to adjust to also.
Changing the heater core is a fairly large job as both the instrument panel and the HVAC housing have to be removed in order to get at the core for removal and replacement.
Roland