Took my 2004 Honda Accord EX 4 cyl in to have my mechanic check it through and through. I'm moving from TX to NY and it's a 1600 mile drive.

Here's some back history:

In July 2014 another mechanic had told me my rack and pinion / steering arms needed replaced. He quoted $700+ and just said it should be done soon because it was leaking PS fluid. 1.5 years and 25,000 miles later I got a mechanic friend to just replace the broken seal that was leaking the PS fluid. He didn't get to replace the control arm boot that covered this area yet, instead he turned the boot upside down so that the holes would be facing upwards not downwards. So I took it in today to a new and completely different mechanic and he quoted $782 saying the whole rack needed replacing, new fluid, and an alignment.

How crucial is this?

Also he mentioned my power steering pump is a little noisy, not leaking or bad per say, but that with the rack and pinion replacement it's not that much more to replace the pump at this time. Quote $275 to replace pump and broken dipstick to check PS fluid level.

Suggestions?

Also he suggested:

Tune up w/ new plugs and clean out throttle $185
Coolant flush and change to lower degree instead of +5 go to -20 $75
Drive belt and replace loose tension-er $235

NOTE: I don't want to give the impression that the latest mechanic is ripping me off... I asked him to tell me everything that may need attention so I could get a feel for what work may need done. I've never had maintenance done except for oil changes and tire care.

 

How many miles are on the car? Plugs and valve adjustment due at 110000 miles.There is no dipstick to check the power steering fluid.