Steering Column Repair: Steering Colum Repair, steering wheel lock, mechanical background

Question
Thanks for your quick response.  What kind of price would I be looking at to get a steering
column like that installed?

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Followup To
Question -
I am wondering about the cost for repairing a steering column
on a 1997 Honda Civic DX.  It was stolen last week, and just
recovered, but the car was hotwired.

Is this something I could do myself, or is it better to have it done
somewhere?  I am in the LA area, maybe you could recommend
someone.

Thanks in advance for your help.
Answer -
No,it was not hotwired. Hotwiring would employ connecting wires in order to start the engine.
The column was defeated by breaking the housing to unlock the steering wheel and the ignition
actuaror was rotated to start the negine.
This is a common method by thieves. Even if your car was hotwired, the steering wheel would
still be locked even if the engine was running.n your case, the housing was most likely broken
circumventing the steering wheel lock and access to the electrical ignition switch actuator was
gained. Get a used column and install it. If you needthe lock tomatch the doors call your local
locksmith.

Answer
I have no way of knowing what your mechanical background is. Installing a used column is not a real big deal with a minumum of hand tools. If you use a junkyard column you will not have an ignition key that matches the door key.
The other option is to take the vehicle to a service garage and have them put the used column in. The cost of a used column should be $150 or less and labor should not run you over $100.

Good Luck!