How much does it cost to fix?????

Question

I'm sorry to all the auto mechanics out there but this is the best i can do with my lack of car knowledge....apparently from what i have been told, i blew the head gaskets on the engine in my 1997 Mazda 626 LX. Generally how much does this cost to fix???? and how long does it take to fix??? The reason why i'm asking is because supposedly my boyfriend's uncle is getting the car fixed by a mechanic friend of his who is going to cut him a deal on the price...he told us it would cost around $700-$900 to fix. like i said i know jack about cars i don't even know what the heck a head gasket is...i'm just afraid that my boyfriend's uncle or the mechanic is taking me for my money...please help me....if you need more info about what happned to the car just ask....thank you in advance for your help:)

Ohhh thank you all soo much for the help...yes the coolant was leaking somewhere all i know is that the thing started to smoke like hell and then my engine shut off and would not crank back up. And yes it is a 4 cylinder engine

Answer 1

I'm pretty sure you're talking about a 4 cylinder engine. $900 is on the high side and $700 is better, but if you like your car, and this is the problem, have it fixed. Was coolant leaking into the oil? Are you absolutely sure it's the head gasket?

More info on your head gasket - it seals the coolant out of the combustion chamber (tip of the spark plug) while keeping the engine cool. If there's a leak, it can cause low compression or coolant into oil leak.

The unfortunate thing about going this deep into an engine is that it might not be the problem or there could be other unforeseen problems, costing you more money. Second, it has to be someone you trust, because if the repair isn't done right, it could set you back even further. Make sure you get some kind of warranty.

Answer 2

Blown Head Gasket Repair Cost

Answer 3

This Site Might Help You.

RE:
How much does it cost to fix?????
I'm sorry to all the auto mechanics out there but this is the best i can do with my lack of car knowledge....apparently from what i have been told, i blew the head gaskets on the engine in my 1997 Mazda 626 LX. Generally how much does this cost to fix???? and how long does it take to fix??? The...

Answer 4

This Site Might Help You.

RE:
How much does it cost to fix?????
I'm sorry to all the auto mechanics out there but this is the best i can do with my lack of car knowledge....apparently from what i have been told, i blew the head gaskets on the engine in my 1997 Mazda 626 LX. Generally how much does this cost to fix???? and how long does it take to fix??? The...

Answer 5

Blown Head Gasket Cost

Answer 6

An engine is made of a lot of different metal parts. When you put two of those metal parts together they really don't create a good seal. To fix this problem, a gasket, (a really thin rubbery material) is placed between them, then squishes when the metal parts are tightened together. This creates a very nice seal so liquids, (oil, antifreeze, whatever), doesn't leak out.

The gasket itself is a very simple piece, (like i said, a thin rubbery thing). Getting to it however can be extremely difficult. The head gasket forms the seal where the top of the engine, (the head), connects to the main body of the engine.

You'll probably end up paying $50 for the gasket, (or gasket kit if there is more than one that they're replacing), and the rest of your cost will be labor where they will basically take apart your entire engine just to replace that blasted rubber seal.

$700-900 sounds a bit high to me, but hey, maybe your car is really complicated when it comes to getting to the head gasket. Do yourself a favor and call around to a lot of different garages. Tell people that you're just looking for a vague idea of the replacement cost of the head gasket in your car. A Mazda dealership(s) or garage would be best as they're probably quite familiar with the process.

Oh, and depending on the garage and how nice they are, they'll probably try and get you to spend a lot of additional money. They'll say something like "while we're that deep in the engine we may as well replace the blah, blah, blah and blah." Problem is, those parts may or may not need to be replaced and because of your lack of car knowledge, you probably won't be able to put up a fight.

Whatever work you have done though, make absolutely sure that you get some kind of a warranty, (good places will warranty their work for the LIFE of your car). Since they're so deep in your engine, if they mess up it'll really screw you over. Get a warranty!

Answer 7

If he does a good job, that is actually a great deal! The parts alone will be in the $300 range and it is a lot of work. If you took the car to a shop it would be a lot more!

Answer 8

Take it to another mechanic, or call around and get a general price from various shops then you know where you stand, it is not a cheap job, but not sure how much, get a few opinions, and also how long your boyfriend mechanic warranties his work for.

Answer 9

yeah its deff not that much money the same thing hapended to me its what makes yer engine slow done or something like that i got my done for like 300 or 250 so good luck

Answer 10

That sounds offly high-price-