FBG Car Guys - Blown Head Gasket (1 Viewer)

[joker]

So my wife just had her car in last week to have the radiator fixed, along with some other minor issues. I was out of town when the work was done so I'm not sure what else was done to it other than it cost me around $1100. Her car started smoking while she was driving it last night a few blocks from the auto shop, so she left it there and got a ride home. Today they called her and told her that she now had a blown head gasket, meaning major $$$ to fix.

My question - I'm not a car guy at all, but I know from the innerwebs that the head gasket seals your combustion chamber and coolant passages. Could the radiator work the garage did somehow have impacted the head gasket? We've never had any major issues with this car at all before now, so it just seems like a very big coincidence that we have a major issue only a few days after her car was in the shop. I'll look at the receipt from the work just done when I get home to see what else was involved. TIA for your wrench-turning help.

 

[sbonomo]

Not really. I am assuming that if you are having the radiator fixed/replaced it is an older car? The head gasket is unfortunately a part that will go. Biggest tell tale sign is water in the oil. Did she overheat the car? I would make sure she didn't warp the head before I put anymore $$ into it. What kind of car is it?

ETA: If there was something wrong with the install of the radiator and she completely overheated the car to the point of warping the head we may have another discussion all together. Although it could be argued that it was her fault for not shutting down the car. Need more info here.

 

[Foosball God]

Radiator work wouldn't have affected the head gasket.

 

[joker]

Thanks for the answers. There was a small leak somewhere, as she'd end up with very small puddles of antifreeze under the car from time to time (1/2 dollar puddles, maybe a bit larger but not much). The car is older, a 2003 Audi A6, but we've had virtually no problems other than the small antifreeze leak since we got it from her brother years ago. The car has never overheated since she's been driving it, but we'd have to add antifreeze or distilled water to the reservoir once every couple of months to get it to the proper line. So it's just a big coincidence, then? Too bad I just spent the $1100 - if only this had happened a week ago...

 

[cosjobs]

Yeah, she could have warped the head with the overheating, not that uncommon if you let it get too hot. And pending on the age of the car, if you end up having to replace the top end, you might need to go ahead and rebuild the lower end as well. Otherwise a new top end can put to much stress on an aged lower end and blow it out. How many miles on the car? Depending on age/model, 75-100k would probably be about my cutoff as to whether i would replace the top without doing the bottom.

The good news is that if you need top and or bottom end rebuilt, they need to change the head gasket anyway.

 

[Joe Summer]

If she had already driven for a long time with a bad radiator, then it would have seriously weakened the headgasket. Fixing the radiator would not have been able to prevent the inevitable.

 

[cosjobs]

Thanks for the answers. There was a small leak somewhere, as she'd end up with very small puddles of antifreeze under the car from time to time (1/2 dollar puddles, maybe a bit larger but not much). The car is older, a 2003 Audi A6, but we've had virtually no problems other than the small antifreeze leak since we got it from her brother years ago. The car has never overheated since she's been driving it, but we'd have to add antifreeze or distilled water to the reservoir once every couple of months to get it to the proper line. So it's just a big coincidence, then? Too bad I just spent the $1100 - if only this had happened a week ago...

Sounds like its never been overheated too bad, then (if she is being completely forthright and honest). What about the timing chain? Has it ever been replaced? That would be a good thing to do while changing head gasket and should save some bucks doing them at the same time.

Timimg chains have a lifespan and will go out. Check the recommended schedule for that car for replacement, usually 75-100k. If you wait until it breaks, you'll definitely need a new top end.

 

[cstu]

I'm not expert but a leaking radiator could have caused a blown head gasket. If I were to guess, your head gasket was on its last legs when you had the radiator replaced.

 

[cosjobs]

I'm not expert but a leaking radiator could have caused a blown head gasket. If I were to guess, your head gasket was on its last legs when you had the radiator replaced.

But Joe Summer is correct in that repeated overheating would weaken it, esp. on a car of that age.

 

[joker]

$1100 was the cost of the other repairs that were done to the car last week (first time anything other than tires or an oil change had been done to it since we had it) - sorry if I wasn't more clear on that.

The shop said that the head gasket repair would be more $$ than the car was worth and offered us $1000 trade-in on it against something they had available there. This is a local business that has up until now been good to us and seemingly honest. The car itself is in fine shape body-wise, but I know her brother had some issues with it before we got it (I believe the engine has already been rebuilt or replaced. I should know more but my memory sucks and he basically gave it to my wife for damn near free, so I wasn't complaining at the time nor paying much attention). We have no love for the car other than that it looks nice for its age, and knew at some point we'd have to pony up big money for repairs since Audis aren't cheap to repair. Any reason not to take the trade-in and get something a little less costly to fix?

 

[joker]

PS - all of the replies make sense when explained by more knowledgeable types, and this seems like just a bad coincidence, so thanks for setting my mind at ease

 

[John Bender]

You're screwed - only way to fix this is to set the car on fire and drive it into your home (make sure your family is out of the home first of course). Once it's burned to the ground, shovel the ashes into a large trunk, seal it tightly and sink it to the bottom of the ocean.

 

[Joe Summer]

PS - all of the replies make sense when explained by more knowledgeable types, and this seems like just a bad coincidence, so thanks for setting my mind at ease

It's not just a coincidence. Personally, I think the repair shop should have told you that the headgasket was vulnerable. And I guess I can give them some credit for discouraging you from repairing the headgasket, but why didn't they speak up when you were about to drop $1100 on a 13-year-old car that was probably only worth $3000-4000 to begin with??Anyway, their $1000 offer is decent but you should be able to get a better price from Craigslist (especially if the car is still driveable).

 

[bakes]

If she had her radiator fixed to correct an overheating problem, the overheating might have caused the head or the block in the area of the head to warp slightly, enough to weaken the head gasket, Not directly related, but a side effect of what caused you to have the radiator repaired in the first place.

May want to talk to the mechanic and see what he did prior to replacing the radiator - my ex had a Toyonova that, when she took it to Auto Phallus Palace, they let run for 15 minutes to diagnose the problem and it overheated, causing the head gasket to go.

Either way, if it is at the end of its useful cycle and you are not that attached to the car, you may want to sell it; Audis do not get less expensive to own with age.

 

[sbonomo]

I'm not expert but a leaking radiator could have caused a blown head gasket. If I were to guess, your head gasket was on its last legs when you had the radiator replaced.

How does the radiator effect the head gasket out of curiosity? First part of the sentence is obvious.

 

[sbonomo]

$1100 was the cost of the other repairs that were done to the car last week (first time anything other than tires or an oil change had been done to it since we had it) - sorry if I wasn't more clear on that.

The shop said that the head gasket repair would be more $$ than the car was worth and offered us $1000 trade-in on it against something they had available there. This is a local business that has up until now been good to us and seemingly honest. The car itself is in fine shape body-wise, but I know her brother had some issues with it before we got it (I believe the engine has already been rebuilt or replaced. I should know more but my memory sucks and he basically gave it to my wife for damn near free, so I wasn't complaining at the time nor paying much attention). We have no love for the car other than that it looks nice for its age, and knew at some point we'd have to pony up big money for repairs since Audis aren't cheap to repair. Any reason not to take the trade-in and get something a little less costly to fix?

how much did they quote? How much is the car worth? is the motor in sideways? Not sure why this would be more than the value of the car.

ETA - quick internet search said 1-1.5K for the repair.

 

[cosjobs]

PS - all of the replies make sense when explained by more knowledgeable types, and this seems like just a bad coincidence, so thanks for setting my mind at ease

It's not just a coincidence. Personally, I think the repair shop should have told you that the headgasket was vulnerable. And I guess I can give them some credit for discouraging you from repairing the headgasket, but why didn't they speak up when you were about to drop $1100 on a 13-year-old car that was probably only worth $3000-4000 to begin with??Anyway, their $1000 offer is decent but you should be able to get a better price from Craigslist (especially if the car is still driveable).

Plus, its not cash, its trade-in value. What's he got on the lot you could trade for?

And he is correct, the car is not worth repairing at this point, but if the body, interior and anciliary parts are good, it has a good salvage value. Hell, the radiator ought to be worth 500-600. Audi parts are ridiculously high.

 

[bakes]

I'm not expert but a leaking radiator could have caused a blown head gasket. If I were to guess, your head gasket was on its last legs when you had the radiator replaced.

How does the radiator effect the head gasket out of curiosity? First part of the sentence is obvious.

Radiator not working as designed = less cooling = higher coolant temperature = higher engine temperature = overheating = temperature high enough that either head or block warps slightly = bad head gasket seal = cracked or otherwise compromised head gasket. Basically.

 

[Dan Lambskin]

A vacationing penguin is driving his car through Arizona when he notices that the oil pressure light is on. He gets out to look and sees oil dripping out of the motor. He drives to the nearest town and stops at the first gas station.

After dropping the car off, the penguin goes for a walk around town. He sees an ice-cream shop and, being a penguin in Arizona, decides that something cold would really hit the spot. He gets a big dish of ice cream and sits down to eat. Having no hands he makes a real mess trying to eat with his flippers. After finishing his ice cream, he goes back to the gas station and asks the mechanic if he's found the problem. The mechanic looks up and says "It looks like you blew a seal."

"No no," the penguin replies, "it's just ice cream."

 

[bakes]

I'm not expert but a leaking radiator could have caused a blown head gasket. If I were to guess, your head gasket was on its last legs when you had the radiator replaced.

How does the radiator effect the head gasket out of curiosity? First part of the sentence is obvious.

Radiator not working as designed = less cooling = higher coolant temperature = higher engine temperature = overheating = temperature high enough that either head or block warps slightly = bad head gasket seal = cracked or otherwise compromised head gasket. Basically.

Also why, if you see your car starting to overheat or temp gauge goes into the red, you should turn on the heater full blast. Heater = auxiliary radiator.

 

[sbonomo]

I'm not expert but a leaking radiator could have caused a blown head gasket. If I were to guess, your head gasket was on its last legs when you had the radiator replaced.

How does the radiator effect the head gasket out of curiosity? First part of the sentence is obvious.

Radiator not working as designed = less cooling = higher coolant temperature = higher engine temperature = overheating = temperature high enough that either head or block warps slightly = bad head gasket seal = cracked or otherwise compromised head gasket. Basically.

OP said the car did not overheat.

 

[cosjobs]

$1100 was the cost of the other repairs that were done to the car last week (first time anything other than tires or an oil change had been done to it since we had it) - sorry if I wasn't more clear on that.

The shop said that the head gasket repair would be more $$ than the car was worth and offered us $1000 trade-in on it against something they had available there. This is a local business that has up until now been good to us and seemingly honest. The car itself is in fine shape body-wise, but I know her brother had some issues with it before we got it (I believe the engine has already been rebuilt or replaced. I should know more but my memory sucks and he basically gave it to my wife for damn near free, so I wasn't complaining at the time nor paying much attention). We have no love for the car other than that it looks nice for its age, and knew at some point we'd have to pony up big money for repairs since Audis aren't cheap to repair. Any reason not to take the trade-in and get something a little less costly to fix?

how much did they quote? How much is the car worth? is the motor in sideways? Not sure why this would be more than the value of the car.

This is a fairly good point. For well under a grand you could get a gasket, nice set of tools and an engine hoist and change it yourself. Probably wouldn't be that hard, if the fuel injection and other crap could stay in place when removing the top end. If you ####ed it up, it should still retain about the same salvage value and you would have the tools.

 

[Dan Lambskin]

Yeah it's amazing what it costs to replace a $5 part

 

[cosjobs]

I'm not expert but a leaking radiator could have caused a blown head gasket. If I were to guess, your head gasket was on its last legs when you had the radiator replaced.

How does the radiator effect the head gasket out of curiosity? First part of the sentence is obvious.

Radiator not working as designed = less cooling = higher coolant temperature = higher engine temperature = overheating = temperature high enough that either head or block warps slightly = bad head gasket seal = cracked or otherwise compromised head gasket. Basically.

Also why, if you see your car starting to overheat or temp gauge goes into the red, you should turn on the heater full blast. Heater = auxiliary radiator.

And immediately pull over and turn off the engine, unless you see the heater is visibly bringing down the temp gauge. Driving a car too hot will quickly and massively add to the repair bill,

 

[cosjobs]

Yeah it's amazing what it costs to replace a $5 part

In their defense, I'm sure Audi charges several hundred for that $5 part.

 

[ghostguy123]

Well, was there coolant still in the car? If they "fixed" the radiator but screwed it up where it leaked and/or wasn't cooling properly, then yes, it could be the reason the car overheated and blew a gasket.

Although sounds like you have had coolant problems for a long time that you should have had fixed, causing the problem.

Old cars, old car problems. All I ever drive are old cars, but I make sure to take care of any problems as soon as they start. If your car is leaking coolant, get it fixed right away. Leaking oil, get it fixed right away.

Whatever couple or few hundred you put into it, the investment is well worth it. If you have to put $1,000 a year into your car, that is still infinitely better than having a car payment.

 

[Binky The Doormat]

I think we should let the guy fix his car and leave his personal life out of it. - Kip Addotta

 

[cosjobs]

$1100 was the cost of the other repairs that were done to the car last week (first time anything other than tires or an oil change had been done to it since we had it) - sorry if I wasn't more clear on that.

The shop said that the head gasket repair would be more $$ than the car was worth and offered us $1000 trade-in on it against something they had available there. This is a local business that has up until now been good to us and seemingly honest. The car itself is in fine shape body-wise, but I know her brother had some issues with it before we got it (I believe the engine has already been rebuilt or replaced. I should know more but my memory sucks and he basically gave it to my wife for damn near free, so I wasn't complaining at the time nor paying much attention). We have no love for the car other than that it looks nice for its age, and knew at some point we'd have to pony up big money for repairs since Audis aren't cheap to repair. Any reason not to take the trade-in and get something a little less costly to fix?

how much did they quote? How much is the car worth? is the motor in sideways? Not sure why this would be more than the value of the car.

ETA - quick internet search said 1-1.5K for the repair.

I don't know of any quality mechanic that would do this for under 1500, probably 2000+, plus parts.

I retract my comment on buying the tools and doing yourself. Now if it was 70s Dodge with a slant six, I'd come help and we'd do it in an afternoon with a case of beer.

 

[cosjobs]

Yeah it's amazing what it costs to replace a $5 part

In their defense, I'm sure Audi charges several hundred for that $5 part.

Actually they only charge $169. For a piece of cutout cork and rubber.

 

[Dan Lambskin]

Yeah it's amazing what it costs to replace a $5 part

In their defense, I'm sure Audi charges several hundred for that $5 part.

Yeah I have no idea what price they sell it for service, but I have a pretty good idea what OEMs pay for these things up front

 

[coyote5]

$1100 was the cost of the other repairs that were done to the car last week (first time anything other than tires or an oil change had been done to it since we had it) - sorry if I wasn't more clear on that.

The shop said that the head gasket repair would be more $$ than the car was worth and offered us $1000 trade-in on it against something they had available there. This is a local business that has up until now been good to us and seemingly honest. The car itself is in fine shape body-wise, but I know her brother had some issues with it before we got it (I believe the engine has already been rebuilt or replaced. I should know more but my memory sucks and he basically gave it to my wife for damn near free, so I wasn't complaining at the time nor paying much attention). We have no love for the car other than that it looks nice for its age, and knew at some point we'd have to pony up big money for repairs since Audis aren't cheap to repair. Any reason not to take the trade-in and get something a little less costly to fix?

how much did they quote? How much is the car worth? is the motor in sideways? Not sure why this would be more than the value of the car.

This is a fairly good point. For well under a grand you could get a gasket, nice set of tools and an engine hoist and change it yourself. Probably wouldn't be that hard, if the fuel injection and other crap could stay in place when removing the top end. If you ####ed it up, it should still retain about the same salvage value and you would have the tools.

Yeah dude, just buy a ####### cherry picker and tool set and do that #### yourself, I mean what the ####?! If it doesn't work out at least you'll still have the cherry picker for the next time you need to pull an engine out of your car.

 

[joker]

PS - all of the replies make sense when explained by more knowledgeable types, and this seems like just a bad coincidence, so thanks for setting my mind at ease

It's not just a coincidence. Personally, I think the repair shop should have told you that the headgasket was vulnerable. And I guess I can give them some credit for discouraging you from repairing the headgasket, but why didn't they speak up when you were about to drop $1100 on a 13-year-old car that was probably only worth $3000-4000 to begin with??Anyway, their $1000 offer is decent but you should be able to get a better price from Craigslist (especially if the car is still driveable).

Wife just told me that the guy at the shop did in fact give her a heads-up last week before the repair that the $1100 repair was pretty costly for a car that wasn't worth a ton, but that it was cheaper than buying a new car. So at least I feel better that they said something - I just wish we would have waited a week so the head gasket could've failed before we spent the $1100.

The guy at the ship didn't give a number on the repair, just said it was too much to spend for what the car was worth. I don't really care about the car other than what I can get for it. A quick check of Craigslist didn't give my any comparables, but it did list a few sites that part out Audis - maybe I should contact them about the car

 

[ghostguy123]

Guy who's wife takes car in for 1100 worth or radiator work posts here to ask questions, and someone gives advice to fix a blown head gasket on his own

 

[ghostguy123]

PS - all of the replies make sense when explained by more knowledgeable types, and this seems like just a bad coincidence, so thanks for setting my mind at ease

It's not just a coincidence. Personally, I think the repair shop should have told you that the headgasket was vulnerable. And I guess I can give them some credit for discouraging you from repairing the headgasket, but why didn't they speak up when you were about to drop $1100 on a 13-year-old car that was probably only worth $3000-4000 to begin with??Anyway, their $1000 offer is decent but you should be able to get a better price from Craigslist (especially if the car is still driveable).

Wife just told me that the guy at the shop did in fact give her a heads-up last week before the repair that the $1100 repair was pretty costly for a car that wasn't worth a ton, but that it was cheaper than buying a new car. So at least I feel better that they said something - I just wish we would have waited a week so the head gasket could've failed before we spent the $1100.

The guy at the ship didn't give a number on the repair, just said it was too much to spend for what the car was worth. I don't really care about the car other than what I can get for it. A quick check of Craigslist didn't give my any comparables, but it did list a few sites that part out Audis - maybe I should contact them about the car

Just list the car for sale, and basically advertise what you know about it, the work that was just done, and the current problem.

In all seriousness, someone out there who CAN get this fixed in their garage with a case of beer would be interested in it.

 

[joker]

Thanks, I'll take your advice. The car has brand new tires, a brand new battery, and looks damn good. it's just got that pesky head gasket problem

 

[SIDA!]

Dumb question. Even if the car can be sold for $1000, why not pay the 1500 to fix it. The net cost would be $500 assuming the fix adds zero to the value.

Surely you can squeeze at least six months more out of it instead of paying 400 a month on a new car payment.

The tax alone on a new car is going to be more than the repair.

But im also a,guy who will do just about anything to avoid a car payment.

 

[Nugget]

What is the car worth if it had a head gasket?

 

[Dickies]

Dumb question. Even if the car can be sold for $1000, why not pay the 1500 to fix it. The net cost would be $500 assuming the fix adds zero to the value.

Surely you can squeeze at least six months more out of it instead of paying 400 a month on a new car payment.

The tax alone on a new car is going to be more than the repair.

But im also a,guy who will do just about anything to avoid a car payment.

I had a situation many years ago where my car needed a new head gasket. It was going to cost $2,500 if memory serves. The value of the car was roughly $4000 if it had nothing seriously wrong with it. I ended up selling it to a guy for $3,000 (I disclosed that it needed a new head gasket) and bought another used car for $4,000. Ended up getting 5 years out of the "new" car with zero problems.

 

[Nugget]

Dumb question. Even if the car can be sold for $1000, why not pay the 1500 to fix it. The net cost would be $500 assuming the fix adds zero to the value.

Surely you can squeeze at least six months more out of it instead of paying 400 a month on a new car payment.

The tax alone on a new car is going to be more than the repair.

But im also a,guy who will do just about anything to avoid a car payment.

I may agree with you, but I would think the net cost would be 2500.

 

[STEADYMOBBIN 22]

PS - all of the replies make sense when explained by more knowledgeable types, and this seems like just a bad coincidence, so thanks for setting my mind at ease

It's not just a coincidence. Personally, I think the repair shop should have told you that the headgasket was vulnerable. And I guess I can give them some credit for discouraging you from repairing the headgasket, but why didn't they speak up when you were about to drop $1100 on a 13-year-old car that was probably only worth $3000-4000 to begin with??Anyway, their $1000 offer is decent but you should be able to get a better price from Craigslist (especially if the car is still driveable).

Wife just told me that the guy at the shop did in fact give her a heads-up last week before the repair that the $1100 repair was pretty costly for a car that wasn't worth a ton, but that it was cheaper than buying a new car. So at least I feel better that they said something - I just wish we would have waited a week so the head gasket could've failed before we spent the $1100.The guy at the ship didn't give a number on the repair, just said it was too much to spend for what the car was worth. I don't really care about the car other than what I can get for it. A quick check of Craigslist didn't give my any comparables, but it did list a few sites that part out Audis - maybe I should contact them about the car

If there is one thing I know it's blown head gaskets....

You likely already had a oil leak. When you repaired your radiator, you "closed the loop" and the pressure that was previously being slowly released into your cooling system now had nowhere to go. As a result, the head gasket gives way and usually you bend or break a valve stem.

We had a very similar thing happen to us a few years ago. Fixed the radiator. Drove the car home. The very next morning I started it and WHAP. The car immediately lost power and I knew the head was blown.

Luckily it was an old beater (that only had 89k miles) but it was paid off.

 

[STEADYMOBBIN 22]

Dumb question. Even if the car can be sold for $1000, why not pay the 1500 to fix it. The net cost would be $500 assuming the fix adds zero to the value.

Surely you can squeeze at least six months more out of it instead of paying 400 a month on a new car payment.

The tax alone on a new car is going to be more than the repair.

But im also a,guy who will do just about anything to avoid a car payment.

I may agree with you, but I would think the net cost would be 2500.

No, any shop should run $1,300-$1,600

 

[Dickies]

Dumb question. Even if the car can be sold for $1000, why not pay the 1500 to fix it. The net cost would be $500 assuming the fix adds zero to the value.

Surely you can squeeze at least six months more out of it instead of paying 400 a month on a new car payment.

The tax alone on a new car is going to be more than the repair.

But im also a,guy who will do just about anything to avoid a car payment.

I had a situation many years ago where my car needed a new head gasket. It was going to cost $2,500 if memory serves. The value of the car was roughly $4000 if it had nothing seriously wrong with it. I ended up selling it to a guy for $3,000 (I disclosed that it needed a new head gasket) and bought another used car for $4,000. Ended up getting 5 years out of the "new" car with zero problems.

Point of this is that the car still has value even if it has a blown head gasket. If the body is really nice and it has new tires and a new radiator, I would imagine someone out there is willing to pay more than $1,000 for it if they have the knowledge/ability to fix it themselves. If you replace it with a similar car that does not have the issues then you come out better than just shelling out $$$ to repair it.

 

[sbonomo]

Well, was there coolant still in the car? If they "fixed" the radiator but screwed it up where it leaked and/or wasn't cooling properly, then yes, it could be the reason the car overheated and blew a gasket.

Although sounds like you have had coolant problems for a long time that you should have had fixed, causing the problem.

Old cars, old car problems. All I ever drive are old cars, but I make sure to take care of any problems as soon as they start. If your car is leaking coolant, get it fixed right away. Leaking oil, get it fixed right away.

Whatever couple or few hundred you put into it, the investment is well worth it. If you have to put $1,000 a year into your car, that is still infinitely better than having a car payment.

Don't ever buy a Land Rover - it will drive you crazy. We call this marking your territory.

 

[SIDA!]

Dumb question. Even if the car can be sold for $1000, why not pay the 1500 to fix it. The net cost would be $500 assuming the fix adds zero to the value.

Surely you can squeeze at least six months more out of it instead of paying 400 a month on a new car payment.

The tax alone on a new car is going to be more than the repair.

But im also a,guy who will do just about anything to avoid a car payment.

I had a situation many years ago where my car needed a new head gasket. It was going to cost $2,500 if memory serves. The value of the car was roughly $4000 if it had nothing seriously wrong with it. I ended up selling it to a guy for $3,000 (I disclosed that it needed a new head gasket) and bought another used car for $4,000. Ended up getting 5 years out of the "new" car with zero problems.

I should disclose the following...I live in California.

When you factor the tax on a car, higher cost of registration and higher cost of insurance...I try to milk as much out of a car as possible. If I get to the point where I feel the car is no longer reliable then I am out the door.

But this car the OP has seems like it is still in really nice condition and well take care of. I would think long and hard about cutting my loses and moving on.

As an example in California on a $30,000 new car:

Tax: 2,700

Registration: 298

Plus insurance increase: X

 

[parrot]

$1100 was the cost of the other repairs that were done to the car last week (first time anything other than tires or an oil change had been done to it since we had it) - sorry if I wasn't more clear on that.

The shop said that the head gasket repair would be more $$ than the car was worth and offered us $1000 trade-in on it against something they had available there. This is a local business that has up until now been good to us and seemingly honest. The car itself is in fine shape body-wise, but I know her brother had some issues with it before we got it (I believe the engine has already been rebuilt or replaced. I should know more but my memory sucks and he basically gave it to my wife for damn near free, so I wasn't complaining at the time nor paying much attention). We have no love for the car other than that it looks nice for its age, and knew at some point we'd have to pony up big money for repairs since Audis aren't cheap to repair. Any reason not to take the trade-in and get something a little less costly to fix?

how much did they quote? How much is the car worth? is the motor in sideways? Not sure why this would be more than the value of the car.

ETA - quick internet search said 1-1.5K for the repair.

I don't know of any quality mechanic that would do this for under 1500, probably 2000+, plus parts.

I retract my comment on buying the tools and doing yourself. Now if it was 70s Dodge with a slant six, I'd come help and we'd do it in an afternoon with a case of beer.

I had a head gasket changed on a 97 F150. They pulled the cab right off the frame to get access to the motor.

 

[cstu]

Why does he need to buy a 'new' car? Plenty of good used cars for around $5k. Sell the car with the blown head gasket for $1k and spend for a better car without the problems.

 

[SIDA!]

Why does he need to buy a 'new' car? Plenty of good used cars for around $5k. Sell the car with the blown head gasket for $1k and spend for a better car without the problems.

True. But not sure that is a better solution. I thought the current car has always been in the family and in good shape otherwise.

Might be more risk buying used from somebody you don't know.

 

[ghostguy123]

Why does he need to buy a 'new' car? Plenty of good used cars for around $5k. Sell the car with the blown head gasket for $1k and spend for a better car without the problems.

True. But not sure that is a better solution. I thought the current car has always been in the family and in good shape otherwise.Might be more risk buying used from somebody you don't know.

Not as risky as buying a new car with a lot of guaranteed sunken cost.

 

[Nugget]

Dumb question. Even if the car can be sold for $1000, why not pay the 1500 to fix it. The net cost would be $500 assuming the fix adds zero to the value.

Surely you can squeeze at least six months more out of it instead of paying 400 a month on a new car payment.

The tax alone on a new car is going to be more than the repair.

But im also a,guy who will do just about anything to avoid a car payment.

I may agree with you, but I would think the net cost would be 2500.

No, any shop should run $1,300-$1,600

1500 repair + 1000 cash value of car = 2500 net.

 

[STEADYMOBBIN 22]

Dumb question. Even if the car can be sold for $1000, why not pay the 1500 to fix it. The net cost would be $500 assuming the fix adds zero to the value.

Surely you can squeeze at least six months more out of it instead of paying 400 a month on a new car payment.

The tax alone on a new car is going to be more than the repair.

But im also a,guy who will do just about anything to avoid a car payment.

I may agree with you, but I would think the net cost would be 2500.

No, any shop should run $1,300-$1,600

1500 repair + 1000 cash value of car = 2500 net.

sorry.