BMW Repair: Heater Core, heater hoses, heater core

Question
Will driving with a heater core that smells inside the car of antifreeze cause me to break down - how urgent is the repair - I need to drive some distance (3000K miles) soon and want my usual repair shop to repair it.  thanks

1995 525it

Answer
If you cannot have it repaired before your trip, an easy repair for the time being is to lift the hood go to the passenger side firewall, remove the 2 heater hoses and join the 2 hoses together.  This will keep the coolant from going to the heater core, but will allow it to circulate it's normal path.