My car is still running hot but runs fine

I half disagree with your first replay. Getting another shop to look at a supposedly crackied block is a good idea, but my 2001 Aztek, going up mountains many times, runs the temp gauge almost to the red after only a few minutes of climbing. I get out and the engine, hoses, cap do not seem that hot. I then drive up, up for a long time and the gauge stays almost to red and it clearly does not seem to be overheating. I had a mechanic tell me "you won't make it over the next mountain pass" on the way to Denver. That was 2 years ago and it's still "almost overheated" at the very sight of a mountain. The gauges on Azteks hook into an integrated circuit board that my mechanic says is one of their weak points, plus is expensive to replace. See about that, too. My gas gauge, for instance, only works when almost empty. I now fill up frequently and keep track of miles since last full tank. I believe these quirky gauges are related.