Car repair gone wrong, faulty part?

rayshell · 21 July 2021 at 9:10AM

My car broke down and the mechanic cited the head gasket as the culprit, yet it was only replaced in December after a major repair. They said it was faulty, a one in a million occurrence. The part IS under warranty, but that requires a representative from the manufacturers to visit and investigate which I've been told could take months. I naively thought that if something like this happens then the garage is obliged to make good the repair then take it up with the manufacturer. Can anyone advise please? I have contacted my credit card company as the December repair was paid for that way, but they say it's not something they can help with.

ratrace · 21 July 2021 at 9:57AM

Is is a vauxhall

AdrianC · 21 July 2021 at 10:23AM

Head gaskets rarely just fail. They are usually taken out by other things - overheating, mostly.

If a HG has failed, it's wise to check the head for true (usually, skim it) and pressure-test it for cracks. In addition, head bolts are usually single-use only and must be replaced. Proper torqueing procedures must be followed on installation.

Not doing any of these properly can cause a HG to fail again in short order... That's why the part manufacturer want to be absolutely certain it's THEIR problem, not a poor installation one. The garage don't think they did anything wrong, so of course they want the manufacturer to investigate. If it's install, the garage should pay. If it's part, the manufacturer should pay.

BUT even if it's not poor install, it might not be a parts failure. It might be another external issue - perhaps the car's got another problem leading to it taking the HG out...