My car is at the dealership after being stolen. Dealer says it needs a door lock actuator. Insurance company wrote it off as a total loss so it's not getting fixed, I'll be buying it back.

What does the door lock actuator really do? Is it just to lock/unlock with power? If so, will the lock work properly if I manually do it with the key or push down on it?

Dealer wants $100+ for the part, another $80 for the labor. The door panel is already off, otherwise the labor would be more.

Doors are easy to take off, changed my window regulators already. There's not much inside there so I would imagine the actuator is probably pretty simple to change, correct?

 

The actuator unless I am mistaken is part of the factory anti theft system.
in addition to being part of the power lock system.

 

Well, I picked the car up today. I haven't gotten an actuator yet. The lock works from the inside and I can unlock it from the outside, it just won't lock all the doors from the outside. I tested the alarm, it worked fine. Now why I didn't hear it the night the car was stolen is another question...

 

Mine had the exact same problem, I "fixed" it this evening. not sure how though