Head Gasket in Opel Corsa gone?

goodmum

Just looking for advice here thanks.
Just been told that the head gasket in my 03 opel corsa has gone - waiting for mechanic to get back to me with a price.
have had 6 great years from it - have had huge trouble in the past year however, and spent a fortune.../
Is it worth my while paying for new headgasket? Keeping in mind that I dont have the money for a new/old car at the moment ......
Have a good mechanic, but like everyone else, he's struggling big time at the moment and I've heard his prices are inflating...so just wanted a few other opinions before he gets back to me.
thanks

Did it overheat ? If not the HG change shouldn't be too costly. Id it overheated there could be quite abit of damage. Regarding the mechanic increasing his rates as he is struggling that is a good way to accelerate going out of business, probably just horsesh**e anyway from tight folk that think he is expensive.

goodmum

No it didn't overheat.

The oil light kept going on - even though I put oil in it...its gone off over a week now though, but still pretty noisy...guy in halfords said it might be the headgasket coz there was alot of white 'goo' (sorry dont know what else to call it!) inside the oil cap when he took it off...

Has the coolant level dropped at all ?
White goo on the oil cap can happen due to lots of short spins and condensation, it is not necessarily HG failure, if the coolant level has not dropped then it is not oil mixing with coolant. Folks in Halfords don't necessarily know anything about cars.

If the oil light is on you are either burning or leaking oil, when was it last serviced ?

Did you drive it home without topping up the oil the day you posted this http://boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055823275&page=2

goodmum

No i went and got oil in tesco that day!
Got it in halfords next day and had to top it up again last week - oil light has now gone off.
The mechanic rang me this morning and said it was the gasket tho.....?
Should I try another mechanic?

biko

White goo on oil cap can be moisture too so is not alone a perfect indication on HG failure.

He may well be right, your car was using a lot of oil, I would be concerned that you have damaged the engine though if it was making funny noises. You could well put a new head gasket on it and the engine may not last due to running on very low oil for a while.

Be sure to mention to the mechanic about the noises, he can have a look at the engine once the head is off and decide if its ok. If you have no reason to not trust him I wouldn't bother going to a different mechanic.

Fingers crossed he'll have you back on the road soon for not too much cash.

goodmum

How much is a head gasket? I was under the impression it was huge money - someone mentioned having the strip the engine down to get to it etc....that's why i was wondering if it's worth my while replacing it...

If the head isn't damaged due to overheating (not in your case ) & engine not damaged due to the running on low oil levels (maybe in your case ) then a HG change including timing belt and service shouldn't be over €500. So look at it as €200 / €250 more than a timing belt change and it's not too bad. You may well have an underlying issue for the oil loss though.

Not from a main dealer though.

goodmum

See 500e is ALOT for me at the moment...and with all the trouble I've been having with it in the past year, im wondering if its worth my while......
Desperately need a car to get the kids to school before I head to work - theres no bus route to school :-( - but do I pay 500 OR see if I can get my hands on 1000 and try to get myself a half decent runaround???? Advice appreciated.....:-)

Jackob

The head gasket went on my 00 Opel Astra a year and a half ago, cost 700 to fix but its still going grand today!! Well worth the money!!

I fully understand your situation, first thing to do is to ask the mechanic is it just a HG required and to confirm the engine is ok. Then get a quote off him for the work, it may well be over €500

An 03 Corsa with a recent HG change in good condition is a better proposition than a car bought for a €1000. Buy a run about and it may need a service, tyres etc which could well come to another €500.

Apologies to be telling bad news.

goodmum

Not at all! Thanks for the advice - must get myself a husband

martinr5232

RoverJames wrote: »

If the head isn't damaged due to overheating (not in your case ) & engine not damaged due to the running on low oil levels (maybe in your case ) then a HG change including timing belt and service shouldn't be over €500. So look at it as €200 / €250 more than a timing belt change and it's not too bad. You may well have an underlying issue for the oil loss though.

Not from a main dealer though.

Opel Corsas have timing chains not timing belts.

OP it would be very unusual for a head gasket to cause iincreased oil consumption if it is not mixing with the coolant.

Sounds to me like your car is burning oil which would mean a lower engine rebuild depending on the noise coming from it you could have a main bearing worn or possibly the timing chain is stretched either way I would be surprised if you would get out at €500.00 euro depending on what damage has been done.

Apologies about the belt comment, I did mention there could be an underlying issue regarding the oil consumption and also that the engine could well be damaged.

goodmum

So could I have done this damage myself - driving with the oil light on?

It wouldn't have helped but there is an underlying reason why the oil was low which if the car was serviced as per schedule is bad luck or whatever

goodmum

Guess I should just have brought it to mechanic when the oil light came on initially....not due a service just yet, so it shouldn't have come on I know.
Anyway, thanks again for advice, very much appreciated:)

martinr5232

Hind sight is a great thing but all your levels should be checked once a week not when warning lights come on nine times out of ten when a warning light comes on the damage has already been done.