Can I sell a car with a blown head gasket?

Strider590

koselur wrote: »

Is it likely that once repaired the car will be just as reliable as another one of comparable age/mileage? Or will there be other related problems down the line?

Better the devil you know.
Remember most people get rid of cars when expensive bills are looming overhead.

If you put you car next to another one of the same age, the HG is probably going to cost as much as the other car is worth.
So then you have to decide if you want an unknown car, or get your own fixed.

macman

You can sell it in any condition you like, as long as it's legally roadworthy, nor as a private seller do you have to declare any known faults. You simply have to truthfully answer any questions the buyer might ask you, so the onus is on them to ask. You may of course choose to declare the fault, but there is no legal comeback if you don't.

izzy65

koselur wrote: »

Thanks for the advice! I don't think I'm looking for an excuse to buy a new car (athough maybe subconsciously....) but you're right in thinking I would be getting another one of similar age (ok, maybe a bit newer, but probably no more recent than 06). I've not got much savings and I'm trying to get debt-free so anything newer is not an option!

I'm glad I posted on here as like I said I really know very little/nothing about cars and just listen to the advice of my mechanic (yes I know I'm a sucker) or my dad.

I will get a second opinion and re-think getting the repairs done.

Is it likely that once repaired the car will be just as reliable as another one of comparable age/mileage? Or will there be other related problems down the line?

I think that the opinion is that it is unlikely to need a hg repair if you are still driving it six weeks after diagnosis

Hoof_Hearted

Scummy deposits in the oil filler cap can indicate a blown HG, but if this is all the mechanic is going on, I would get it checked elsewhere.

mcjordi

you need a second opinion.. if its just short journeys it could just be condensation build up.. what colour is the oil on the dipstick?

koselur

Hoof hearted & mcjordi

The mechanic said to me something like there is gas in the coolant? He also said something about corroded brake(? I think) pipes? Have checked oil recently and it was brown but not totally opaque.

Tobster86

The staple symptom of HGF is coolant consumption (though there are many other symptoms, which tend to worsen with progression). How often are you having to top up the water?

If you're not having to top it up at all, HGF is extremely unlikely.

If you are, it still only makes HGF a possibility, not a certainty.

AdrianC

If you're going to flog it, put it on eBay, with all faults declared and plenty of pics. You should get £150-200 or so maximum, I'd think.

Add that to the £700 you'd be spending to fix the current car, and you've got a pot of £900 to get another car without spending more than it'd cost to get you on the road in this one. Subtract <wet finger> £100 for fannying about and for costs of changing over insurance etc.

So... you play the £800 car lottery, or you keep your current car with replaced HG, brake pipes, etc etc... I know what I'd be doing, if my plan was to replace it with the same again because I liked it so much.

s_b

these cars suffer from gasket failure of the water pump which allows pressurised water into the sump thus making poor mechanics think head gasket gone
its not too difficult to do the gasket on these but you do need to get it from vauxhall and cut the sump bit off to make job easy
find another mechanic as said
and stop driving it till then as engines run on oil not water/oil mix as you will ruin the bearings

smudger1964

ill probably get shot down in flames by some of the resident "experts or mechanics" here but I have used this http://www.kseal.com/uk/cylinder-head-failure-and-repair/ only costs around a tenner and it stopped my sons old peugeot 106 needing a new head gasket for a year till it failed its mot on lots of other things
just personal experience

what have you got to lose