Chevrolet: manual door lock on cavalier, auto locks, lock cylinder

Question
QUESTION: how much should i pay for a 97  cavalier manual door lock? and are they hard to install? how long would it take to install?

ANSWER: Peter,
      If you are talking about the lock cylinder, they usually run about 45 bucks new from a parts store. They are not too difficult to install, you have to remove the door panel and get to the inside of the door. Unhook the plastic clip holding the rod on to the tab on the back of the cylinder, then there is a kind of U- shaped clip that holds teh cylinder in place. Remove the clip and pull the lock out, then reverse all of it to install the new lock. Good luck!

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QUESTION: i meant to say for a repair shop to replace. thing is the shop fixed it but would not guarantee it as he thought they should be replaced. another odd thing for both locks to go at the same time is weird to me, what do you think? especially since the passenger side is rarely used, the driver's side is a lot.  as a footnote new locks would have cost $200.00 bucks each! as it was i paid $176. for the possible temporary fixes. we live in michigan and the weather has been hot to mild. no rust. also repair guy wants to do a trans flush which i read can totally destroy an engine and people just want to make up for the money the tran flush machine cost the. opinion please on all this stuff. thanks so much.

Answer
Peter,
    I think the labor book calls for an hour labor for this job, so unless the shop rate is 150 bucks an hour, 200 a piece seems a little extravigant. It is a relatively easy DIY project, and most people could do it in about half a day for both locks. Also, I could see the driver's side, but the passenger side seems a little suspicious, unless you had the manual/auto locks that open all the doors when the key is turned twice in the cylinder. As for the tranny flush, pull your dipstick and look at the fluid. If it is still bright red and does not smell burned, you probably don't need a flush. If the fluid is slightly browned, I would reccomend a filter change and fluid fill first. The only time I really reccomend a flush is if there are metal shavings or lots of contaminants in the fluid, or after break-in on a new transmission.