My vauxhall Calibra's head gasket has blown! Cost= £400! have I been robbed?

Question

steam was hissing out of the dipstick and when I changed the roker cover gasket inside the cover was caked in 'cream' The mechanic said it was damaged head also. overheating sevearly was another sign. he is putting a new head on it complete with hydraulic lifters also. its a 2.0 16v ecotec auto. but am I being overcharged for the work that is being done? help!

Answer 1

no...u didnt get robbed. u most likely got a good deal. head gasket replacement isnt as easy as it looks, and overheating can easily warp a head. once warped, its junk. labor rates vary from shop to shop. across the pond, a head gasket repair is fairly pricey. it costed me about 600 bucks to replace on mine 8 yrs ago.

Answer 2

No, because I know from doing work experience in garages in the past that it's quite a major job (usually the Labour charge is what pushes the cost up)........... like usually have to let the engine cool down a couple of days so it doesn't warp, clean the creamy cr*p out the engine, scrape off the old gasket (takes some doing... I've spent whole afternoons doing that job), make sure there wasn't any additional damage, then try to put it all back together again.

Think I remember bill twice that just for a Pug 205

Answer 3

Sounds more like a coolant leak. Look under your truck and see if anything is wet. Also check the floor of the interior for moisture (if the heater core is leaking, that's probably where it would end up). If you had a head gasket leaking THAT much, it would probably be in the oil or you'd be burning it, or it would obviously be leaking to the outside. Get a second opinion, or better yet, go over your engine compartment and under-dash area with a fine-toothed comb and figure out where the leak is coming from.

Answer 4

you wont buy a new head with hyd tappets for £400 (cost of a re manufactured head alone is £375 + vat + carriage and a sizable surcharge against the old unit being returned in a reusable condition supplied by a multinational company who give a 12 months guarantee) hyd tappets alone are £10 each × 16 gasket set £57 head bolts £14 cam belt £17 cylinder heads normally suffer from electrolytic corrosion due to lack of antifreeze in the cooling system which prevents this the corroded waterways encroach the gasket sealing ring area and mayhem results, welding these heads normally costs from £25 depending on extent of damaged, in addition to this cost of stripping and assembling head for welding (as it has to be preheated)and replacing the valve stem oil seals £40, clean and machine head prior to welding £30 re machine head after welding (to remove weld build up) £15

Answer 5

2.0l 16v....er auto??? yeah you have for an auto you should have just scrapped it :)

If he did actually replace the hydraulic tappets I think you got your money's worth. A blown head gasket is a very expensive job. My oil sump gasket is breaching as I type, think I might get the head gasket replaced at same time to save some money for the future. Note for future: sell car before it reaches 10yrs of age.

Answer 6

£400 is a decent price. You may have got it cheaper by shopping around but if the car is working well after the job then you did not get ripped off.

Answer 7

no mine went on a rover 45 and made a right mess a mechanic friend did the job and it stil cost £500+ so sounds like you got a good deal

Answer 8

i boiled my vectra and did mega damage. parts alone cost nearly £500. luckily my husband is a mechanic so i didn't have to pay labour. That sounds about right.

Answer 9

i would say he has done you a favour,it would have cost double if it were a main dealer.the fact it's and auto just makes it a bit sad.lol

Answer 10

Personally...I think you were robbed when you bought the Calibra!