New head gasket price

Ashley_Grant

Hi everybody, I'm new to these forum things. I've recently been to a couple of car garages as I've got quite a loud ticking noise coming from the engine for a month or so. I've lost power in accelerating & speed. The garage has said that the head gasket has gone & I need a new one. The cars a 14plate Astra GTC, he quoted me an eye watering £1800 Inc labour. I'm wondering if that's a standard price or have I been over quoted? Also if I bought the head gasket myself would labour be cheaper, as I've seen them online for £50 or am I looking at the wrong thing haha!

Any help would be appreciated.

DUTR

Naturally , the majority of the cost is labour, all the ancillary parts have to be removed before they can get at the cylinder head then put it back together again.

forgotmyname

Your unlikely to get the gasket any cheaper than the garage. If you supply the parts then there maybe no warranty on the work.

You complain they say your parts your problem, take it up with the people that sold you the gasket?

Labour is likely to be more and expect bigger bills if the part doesn't fit. They wont want your car sitting there taking up space because the part doesnt fit.

benbay001

More importantly, i cant see how the head gasket could create a ticking noise?

A loss of power maybe, but not a ticking noise.

missile

benbay001 wrote: »

More importantly, i cant see how the head gasket could create a ticking noise?

A loss of power maybe, but not a ticking noise.

Noise created by gasses escaping :beer:

caprikid1

Please please don't buy cheap parts on a job like this and then get them to do the labour....


£1800 labour , £20 saved on head gasket. "Your" head gasket fails, that will be another £1800, you would be absolutely insane to consider such a thing.

Ashley_Grant

Thanks for the replies people, didn't think about the no warranty on the parts I bought, thanks! I thought the ticking noise was the hydraulic lifters, the mechanic said it was down the the gasket, I'm probably gunna leave the gasket & see if I can part ex the car only a year & half left on the finance. Surely someone would take it off me for £3500.

caprikid1

Ashley_Grant wrote: »

Thanks for the replies people, didn't think about the no warranty on the parts I bought, thanks! I thought the ticking noise was the hydraulic lifters, the mechanic said it was down the the gasket, I'm probably gunna leave the gasket & see if I can part ex the car only a year & half left on the finance. Surely someone would take it off me for £3500.

You have warranty on most parts, just not with the garage.


I would suggest shop around and get a detailed breakdown of what they are proposing.


What is the mileage on the car ?

AdrianC

"GTC" is just the badge they put on the three-door Astra J. Which engine is it? How involved the job will be is going to vary depending on that. The part itself is only a very small factor in the job price. There's a lot of stripping involved to get the head off, then the head's mounting face has to be checked for straightness and damage, and skimmed if it's anything but immaculate. Pressure test it to check for cracks, too.

Again, depending on which engine, the cheapest solution may be to swap a good engine in - Astra engines are hardly in short supply. Just make sure you find the correct lump.

Ashley_Grant

I might take it to vauxhall itself see what they say, but I've been rinsed off them before. One garage wouldn't touch the car they said 🙃 The cars done 33700

foxy-stoat

What garages have you taken it to, not Halfrauds or Kwikfault, and what actual tests have they carried out?

Sounds more like a manifold gasket. Have a leak down test and compression test done.

You should get yourself on a GTC forum and see if the owners on there have trusted garages local to you, they might point you in the right direction if you haven't got a trusted garage that does your servicing and repairs.