Audi A3 - Headgasket

Sully

Quick question.

The other half purchased an Audi A3 (04 / 1.6L) a while back. It was checked over by a mechanic who said it was in excellent condition and it had just passed the NCT. Soon after, the engine kept overheating and they'd need to top up the water frequently. They got the car serviced and mentioned it to the mechanic, but he forgot to look at it initially and on a second glance said the fan wasn't coming on and to go to a different mechanic to fix. That mechanic fixed the fan and made an observation that the water was very dirty. Anyway, the car kept overheating so they brought it back to him again and he said the head gasket was blown, the oil was leaking into the water and it's going to cost about €500 to fix.

Neither of us know much about cars so I just wanted to get peoples thoughts here. Probably get a second opinion to be 100% sure but I understand it's a costly and time consuming job to fix it? A friend of mine was in a similar situation before and for her car she got it fixed with a sealant but I assume that option isn't available here if it wasn't proposed.

Thanks for your time on this folks, appreciate any thoughts/comments/feedback.

George Dalton

What year is it and which engine is in it?

Sully

George Dalton wrote: »

What year is it and which engine is in it?

Sorry, it's a 04 and a 1.6.

George Dalton

Yeah those 1.6 engines do suffer from head gasket problems occasionally.

Sully

George Dalton wrote: »

Yeah those 1.6 engines do suffer from head gasket problems occasionally.

Would it be a fair assessment to say it's around €500sh?

George Dalton

Yes that's about right.

Sully

Just to bump this so people know what happened.

The head gasket leaked and was repaired. The mechanic said it leaked in many places and he spent a considerable amount of time flushing it out. The fan needed to be replaced, a switch related to the fan needed to be replaced, the radiator needed to be replaced. Came to the bones of €900. Today they discovered the car heating no longer heats the car and the mechanic believes that oil got into the heating under the dashboard and will need to be replaced, waiting on a price.

Leonard Hofstadter

Sully wrote: »

Just to bump this so people know what happened.

The head gasket leaked and was repaired. The mechanic said it leaked in many places and he spent a considerable amount of time flushing it out. The fan needed to be replaced, a switch related to the fan needed to be replaced, the radiator needed to be replaced. Came to the bones of €900. Today they discovered the car heating no longer heats the car and the mechanic believes that oil got into the heating under the dashboard and will need to be replaced, waiting on a price.

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but the heater matrix not working is usually indicative out the head gasket about to go. Probably unlikely seeing as it's just been replaced, but still, I hope for your sake it's sorted cheaply and quickly.

Sully

captainspeed wrote: »

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but the heater matrix not working is usually indicative out the head gasket about to go. Probably unlikely seeing as it's just been replaced, but still, I hope for your sake it's sorted cheaply and quickly.

You might be right as this morning the water ran low twice! How in the name is it possible for a gasket to go so soon (days) after repair?

Gazzmonkey

Sully wrote: »

You might be right as this morning the water ran low twice! How in the name is it possible for a gasket to go so soon (days) after repair?

Driving hard with a stone cold engine would do it, I assume you don't do that!

VeVeX

Sully wrote: »

Just to bump this so people know what happened.

The head gasket leaked and was repaired. The mechanic said it leaked in many places and he spent a considerable amount of time flushing it out. The fan needed to be replaced, a switch related to the fan needed to be replaced, the radiator needed to be replaced. Came to the bones of €900. Today they discovered the car heating no longer heats the car and the mechanic believes that oil got into the heating under the dashboard and will need to be replaced, waiting on a price.

Sully wrote: »

You might be right as this morning the water ran low twice! How in the name is it possible for a gasket to go so soon (days) after repair?

Could just be an air lock. Bring it back to the guy who did the work immediately.

Sully

Gazzmonkey wrote: »

Driving hard with a stone cold engine would do it, I assume you don't do that!

I'm not driving it but I would assume not. She would be a careful slower driver!

VeVeX wrote: »

Could just be an air lock. Bring it back to the guy who did the work immediately.

Cheers!

Special Circumstances

VeVeX wrote: »

Could just be an air lock. Bring it back to the guy who did the work immediately.

Hopefully this is all it is. Although if they couldn't bleed the system properly and check that the heater blew hot air then it wouldn't fill you with confidence. And the fact that water is still disappearing... :-(