BMW 316 head gasket gone. Repair or trade in?

chic chick

Hi All

Anyone have any advice. Here is my dilemma...

2005 BMW 316 ES 1.8L petrol..Perfect condition. Low - average mileage. Head gasket has just gone and have been quoted €1500- €2000 for repair . It is due an NCT and car tax is just out. Has never given me an ounce of trouble and I have had it since it was a year old.

My questions would be
1. Would you get it repaired?
2 Or garage will take it for a trade in as is. How much roughly could i hope to get against a trade in from a garage

Any help/ advice/wise words are appreciated

Thanks :-)

Captain Slow IRL

Is that an E9x model?

You're going to take a huge hit on it's evaluation no matter what you do, probably best to shop around a few places to see how much they'd charge - a replacement engine might be an option as well.

I can't see any garage being too keen on taking a car without offering you peanuts for it.

chic chick

Thanks for the quick reply its actually the es model

bmstuff

Captain Slow IRL wrote: »

Is that an E9x model?

You're going to take a huge hit on it's evaluation no matter what you do, probably best to shop around a few places to see how much they'd charge - a replacement engine might be an option as well.

I can't see any garage being too keen on taking a car without offering you peanuts for it.

Why is that? I dont see how changing a gasket will devaluate the car. Not like if the car hit a tree...

bmstuff

chic chick wrote: »

Hi All

Anyone have any advice. Here is my dilemma...

2005 BMW 316 ES 1.8L petrol..Perfect condition. Low - average mileage. Head gasket has just gone and have been quoted €1500- €2000 for repair . It is due an NCT and car tax is just out. Has never given me an ounce of trouble and I have had it since it was a year old.

My questions would be
1. Would you get it repaired?
2 Or garage will take it for a trade in as is. How much roughly could i hope to get against a trade in from a garage

Any help/ advice/wise words are appreciated

Thanks :-)

Should not cost more than 1000 frankly. 2000 you probably went to a main dealer. Plenty of good mechanics out therd without the main dealer premium prices.

Captain Slow IRL

bmstuff wrote: »

Why is that? I dont see how changing a gasket will devaluate the car. Not like if the car hit a tree...

Poor choice of words, I just meant it's gonna cost him no matter what he does.

bmstuff

Captain Slow IRL wrote: »

Poor choice of words, I just meant it's gonna cost him no matter what he does.

Sure ok got you

chic chick

For sure its gonna cost me either way. Would there be any point in trying to sell it privately as is? My reluctance in getting it done is that my mechanic seems to think it wouldn't be worth it.

bmstuff

chic chick wrote: »

For sure its gonna cost me either way. Would there be any point in trying to sell it privately as is? My reluctance in getting it done is that my mechanic seems to think it wouldn't be worth it.

Is it a e46 or e90 car?

e46



e90

chic chick

e46

bmstuff

chic chick wrote: »

e46

Yeah hence the mechanic reaction.
These cars seem to go for anything between 2000-4000 euros so it is hard to tell if it worth it or not. Many e90 are available for 6000.
Since the car is SE, does not help for the resale value. Many people are looking for the sport bumpers at least.
I doubt any garage will take a non runner as a trade in. They would want to do a thorough diagnostic first, but again I doubt they would bother.

Hard to tell. Nothing says you will get 4k for it when it is fixed. You may, you may not.

keithsfleet

Is it just head gasket or does the head need skimming?
Can't imagine a head gasket on a 4 pot costing anywhere near that much from an indy!

s14driftking

if it was running okish id be tempted to throw it in an auction and shift it on that way as is

hanloj1

I would keep her as you know her history. You should get a better price than quoted.

arleitiss

I have E46 318, had replaced headgasket too, was around 1000. Now flies like a plane, smooth and perfect.

Technoprisoner

get yourself a bottle of this stuff http://www.steelseal.co.uk/ it does actually work

keithsfleet

Technoprisoner wrote: »

get yourself a bottle of this stuff http://www.steelseal.co.uk/ it does actually work

Have you personally ever used it and in what situation?
Sorry but there is a serious pessimist inside me when it comes to "miracle" stuff like this.

Technoprisoner

keithsfleet wrote: »

Have you personally ever used it and in what situation?
Sorry but there is a serious pessimist inside me when it comes to "miracle" stuff like this.

you know i was the same when i first came across it. i haven't personally used it myself. But i work in a motor factors and we sell this stuff.....and yes it does work. ive had customers with cars using liters of coolant a day, going down to a cup full after a day then never use a drop again. Its not going to restore compression if the car is way down but it will stop it from using coolant.

Idbatterim

op where do you live?

chic chick

I'm in the Maynooth area

burke027

I work in a BMW specialist in kildare and I've done plenty of these to be honest. And I can tell you for a fact that 700 euro would get that done and completed. I've personally done plenty of them. As for the sealer defo don't listen to that person don't put that near ur car it will cause more trouble then it's worth and that is a fact. If ur haven trouble drop me a pm I'd be delighted to help ya. Who ever is telling you it isn't worth doing is trying to avoid the job. Honestly get it done and keep the car the e46 is a good model and reliable only gives trouble on wear and tear parts that's all

Technoprisoner

burke027 wrote: »

I work in a BMW specialist in kildare and I've done plenty of these to be honest. And I can tell you for a fact that 700 euro would get that done and completed. I've personally done plenty of them. As for the sealer defo don't listen to that person don't put that near ur car it will cause more trouble then it's worth and that is a fact. If ur haven trouble drop me a pm I'd be delighted to help ya. Who ever is telling you it isn't worth doing is trying to avoid the job. Honestly get it done and keep the car the e46 is a good model and reliable only gives trouble on wear and tear parts that's all

why not listen to me? if the steel seal stops the car from using coolant then what ill effects will it have? have you tried steel seal? have you seen the results? are you comparing it with something like novastop ? i agree that the job should be done correctly but this stuff does work and the car will stop using coolant. if you re read my reply it says that this is not going to improve compression if the car is majorly down on compression

djimi

My worry with something like Steel Seal is how exactly does it go about sealing the problem? It might mask the problem, but Id be afraid that it would cause other issues in the process.

Technoprisoner

djimi wrote: »

My worry with something like Steel Seal is how exactly does it go about sealing the problem? It might mask the problem, but Id be afraid that it would cause other issues in the process.

to be honest they are not going to give that secret away...but i would imagine its some sort of chemical reaction with the steel seal and exhaust gases

burke027

Technoprisoner wrote: »

to be honest they are not going to give that secret away...but i would imagine its some sort of chemical reaction with the steel seal and exhaust gases

Why give someone bad advice. This is maybe a quick fix. But wat happens when it sticks to the water pump?? And the inside of the rad trust me its wrong advice to give someone with a head gasket gone.
Do the job right and it will only need doing once. Start with this stuff and I can be absolute sure that you will run into bigger problems

Technoprisoner

burke027 wrote: »

Why give someone bad advice. This is maybe a quick fix. But wat happens when it sticks to the water pump?? And the inside of the rad trust me its wrong advice to give someone with a head gasket gone.
Do the job right and it will only need doing once. Start with this stuff and I can be absolute sure that you will run into bigger problems

have you seen this stuff? its not like novastop ect. it doesn't stick to water pumps or interior rads

burke027

Technoprisoner wrote: »

have you seen this stuff? its not like novastop ect. it doesn't stick to water pumps or interior rads

Are u genuinely trying to tell me that this is the answer to head gasket problems sorry I've being around the block and seen all sorts. Only way is the right way.
I'm out of this conversation

Technoprisoner

burke027 wrote: »

Are u genuinely trying to tell me that this is the answer to head gasket problems sorry I've being around the block and seen all sorts. Only way is the right way.
I'm out of this conversation

if you read what i said...i did say it should be done the proper way but dont knock a product until you have tried it. this stuff works differently to the likes of k seal or novastop. its unique in the way it works. if the car has a small blow across the gasket, where it is using a small amount of coolant and isn't majorly down on compression then this product could be your answer.

chic chick

UPDATE

First of all pardon my ignorance when it comes to cars.

I have just spoken to my mechanic who says the head is cracked??

bmstuff

chic chick wrote: »

UPDATE

First of all pardon my ignorance when it comes to cars.

I have just spoken to my mechanic who says the head is cracked??

That is worse alright. You need a new used engine ideally. Or just a new head.
You can probably get another engine for 500-600 euros top. Plenty of 316i for breaking out there.
Probably going to set you back 1500-2000 in a garage I would say.

burke027

Haven't seen many of them heads cracked at all. Are u 100 percent it's cracked. He must have the head off the engine to know if its cracked am I correct in saying that

Markcheese

Technoprisoner wrote: »

to be honest they are not going to give that secret away...but i would imagine its some sort of chemical reaction with the steel seal and exhaust gases

It's made of sodium silicate , or water glass ,( costs about 20 euro a litre ) but its sold for 90 something bucks a bottle,(to be fair they prob tweak the formula)
The sodium silicate cristalises in
heat , if it works you should get 2 or 3
years out of it ...

ba_barabus

My experience and knowledge of products like these is that they clog the cooling system, damage water pumps and generally clog the system with a mess of shyte.

I wouldn't put it in anything I value.

Technoprisoner

Markcheese wrote: »

It's made of sodium silicate , or water glass ,( costs about 20 euro a litre ) but its sold for 90 something bucks a bottle,(to be fair they prob tweak the formula)
The sodium silicate cristalises in
heat , if it works you should get 2 or 3
years out of it ...

i wasnt too far wrong so

It's good that you were not suggesting sodium silicate in the engine oil:

It definitely had an effect to the way the engine was running before and after the treatment :D:D

Markcheese

samih wrote: »

It's good that you were not suggesting sodium silicate in the engine oil:

It definitely had an effect to the way the engine was running before and after the treatment :D:D

Well you wouldn't be worried about the head gasket anymore .....
But like anything motor related ,don't put the wrong fluid in the wrong reservoir