Ken,

You should have looked more into it. Did your technician check for air in the system before recommending an expensive fix? When I went to my technician, we discussed the problem and he also said that it *could be* the thermostat or the temp sensor but I insisted that he flush out the heater core since this hadn't been done in years. Well low and behold it wasn't anything more than air in the system causing a blockage in the heater core. This is why the car wasn't warming as quickly as it should...... Total cost, 57 bucks taxes in.

Not saying this to brag, just saying that techs will usually diagnose a worst case scenario to manage your expectations and your budget so that they have a choice when they truly find out what the REAL problem is..... Replace the parts or clean/repair them.