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How much for a Head gasket!!??

Posted: Wed Mar 09, 2011 10:50 am
by Bigcol
Hi guys, just had my head gasket go and its taken the rad with it(over pressurised the cooling system and found a weak point in the rad). Just been quoted £980 to have the HG, rad, cam belt, oil and filter change done. This seems a little high to me. I know its a days work, but the parts aint more than £250. Am i being shafted!!?? Col

Re: How much for a Head gasket!!??

Posted: Wed Mar 09, 2011 10:54 am
by jamjar1383
thats a little high, but then again it does depend where in the country you are as price's are higher in some parts of the uk.

Re: How much for a Head gasket!!??

Posted: Wed Mar 09, 2011 11:03 am
by Gary406
a full days work is 8 hours.

@ £50 an hour thats £400 . then parts.

the cambelt change ? does that include a water pump ?

its a big job all of that. probably take longer than 1 day.

you could buy another car for that tho. might be worth considering.

what engine is it ?

Re: How much for a Head gasket!!??

Posted: Wed Mar 09, 2011 11:11 am
by Gary406
just seen your previous posts.

s reg 1.9 turbo diesel ?

i would definately consider getting a new car before spending almost 1000 squids on it ..

UNLESS- you plan on keeping it for a very long time..

Re: How much for a Head gasket!!??

Posted: Wed Mar 09, 2011 11:26 am
by Bigcol
His rate is £55 + VAT @ 20%. So £528 for labour, that leaves £450 for parts... looks like im on the look out for another car :o(

Re: How much for a Head gasket!!??

Posted: Wed Mar 09, 2011 11:55 am
by highlander
Just for reference, I had my cambelt, tensioner kit, and water pump replaced, and the quoted price was £366, which included the parts, labour, and VAT.

This is on a petrol engine though, I've heard HDi owners quoting higher prices than petrol owners generally get, and V6 owners quoting almost double what I paid :shock: I have no idea how costs for an XUD belt change compare to those for a DW10/DW12 belt change.

Wanna buy a 1999 V-reg 1.8 petrol saloon, in China Blue? Needs a little bodywork, but she's a fine runner. Located in Aberdeen.

Re: How much for a Head gasket!!??

Posted: Wed Mar 09, 2011 5:37 pm
by jasper5
highlander wrote:Just for reference, I had my cambelt, tensioner kit, and water pump replaced, and the quoted price was £366, which included the parts, labour, and VAT.

This is on a petrol engine though, I've heard HDi owners quoting higher prices than petrol owners generally get, and V6 owners quoting almost double what I paid :shock: I have no idea how costs for an XUD belt change compare to those for a DW10/DW12 belt change.

Wanna buy a 1999 V-reg 1.8 petrol saloon, in China Blue? Needs a little bodywork, but she's a fine runner. Located in Aberdeen.

I just did my timing belt on my Expert HDi and it cost nothing compared to these prices.

Anyone want a quote for their timing belt replacements in the north west of England?

Highlander...it's a pity you are so far away, I might have been interested in your car.

Re: How much for a Head gasket!!??

Posted: Wed Mar 09, 2011 5:43 pm
by Gary406
i'm so lucky to live close to jasper :mrgreen:

he will beat any garage quote :mrgreen: and beat it by a long shot at that :mrgreen:

Re: How much for a Head gasket!!??

Posted: Wed Mar 09, 2011 6:38 pm
by highlander
jasper5 wrote:Highlander...it's a pity you are so far away, I might have been interested in your car.
It's a great mile-muncher, and it's conveniently-located near to Aberdeen Airport :cheesy:

Re: How much for a Head gasket!!??

Posted: Wed Mar 09, 2011 7:33 pm
by craigtd
it would be cheeper putting a low mile second hand engine in with a belt kit as it would be less time to do.

Re: How much for a Head gasket!!??

Posted: Wed Mar 09, 2011 8:50 pm
by jasper5
highlander wrote:
jasper5 wrote:Highlander...it's a pity you are so far away, I might have been interested in your car.
It's a great mile-muncher, and it's conveniently-located near to Aberdeen Airport :cheesy:

Have you got a price in mind?

Sorry Big Col for highjacking your thread.

Re: How much for a Head gasket!!??

Posted: Thu Mar 10, 2011 11:20 am
by highlander
The insurance company's inspector gave it a pre-accident value of £1,000, and said this was based on the Glass's guidebook value.

Post-accident: The two driver's-side doors are scratch-damaged but are not dented. The rear quarter-panel isn't damaged at all, thank goodness. The driver's-side front wing is dented and scratched but I will replace this in order to be able to fit a new indicator, required for getting her through MOT.

After I do that, I was thinking of advertising it for £750 (definitely less than this for 406oc members), but would accept offers.

The car has only done 56,000 and has always run very well; there's a lot of life left in this one for sure. Only thing is, it's probably still on it original cambelt - I never had it done, and I don't think the previous owner did either.

Again, sorry for the thread hijack :cheesy:

Re: How much for a Head gasket!!??

Posted: Thu Mar 10, 2011 3:29 pm
by jasper5
highlander wrote:The insurance company's inspector gave it a pre-accident value of £1,000, and said this was based on the Glass's guidebook value.

Post-accident: The two driver's-side doors are scratch-damaged but are not dented. The rear quarter-panel isn't damaged at all, thank goodness. The driver's-side front wing is dented and scratched but I will replace this in order to be able to fit a new indicator, required for getting her through MOT.

After I do that, I was thinking of advertising it for £750 (definitely less than this for 406oc members), but would accept offers.

The car has only done 56,000 and has always run very well; there's a lot of life left in this one for sure. Only thing is, it's probably still on it original cambelt - I never had it done, and I don't think the previous owner did either.

Again, sorry for the thread hijack :cheesy:

It doesn't have mot?

Re: How much for a Head gasket!!??

Posted: Thu Mar 10, 2011 8:55 pm
by highlander
No, it ran out during November, and I haven't been able to afford repairs on it thanks to Christmas and the Coupe. I've driven it around my cul-de-sac a few times just to keep charge in the battery and stop the brakes from seizing up; she still runs beautifully.

I'll call the garage tomorrow and get it booked in. Only thing it will need is the indicator light, I'm sure, but anything else needs done I'll get sorted. She's getting her MOT certificate one way or the other!

Re: How much for a Head gasket!!??

Posted: Thu Mar 17, 2011 4:48 pm
by Bigcol
Do ya know what....!!?? As the cars effectively only worth scrap value now, i was going to take the head off meself and see if i can learn something along the way... I'm quite handy with the old spanners and have managed to find a local machine shop that can recon the head if its salvageable. Or supply me with a recon head for £200 if not. So i'm gonna grab this bull by its short and curlies and give it a go... I'll keep you all posted (i say keep you posted, i do of course mean i'll be asking for loads of help!!) Wish me luck!!
Col