Head gasket gone... compensation?

nej

This is for my father-in-law, actually. He has a Freelander with the notorious 1.8 K-Series engine in it.

A few years ago (the car was at that point about 5 years old), the head gasket went. Land Rover actually covered the cost of a new (might have been reconditioned, I'm not sure) engine.

4 years (and only 30,000 miles of meticulously maintained motoring) later, the head gasket has gone again. This engine is known to have a design flaw, and obviously engines should last more than 30,000 miles. Given that it is an inherent fault, and Land Rover must have known this when they put the replacement engine in, does he have a case to pursue Land Rover for the cost of repair, which is about £1500-£2000? They have said they are not going to pay anything. By Land Rover, I don't mean the dealer, I mean Land Rover the Company, if you see what I mean.

Any thoughts? £2000 is a lot of money to him (well, for anyone I suppose!)

KeithP

So we are talking about a nine year old vehicle?

I guess its up to you to convince the person/organisation that you bought the vehicle from (not necessarily LandRover itself) that the engine should last longer than that. I imagine it may also depend on anything that may have been signed at the time the engine was previously replaced.

mountainchrisriver

We are not talking about compensation here... so could you change the title please?!

nej

KeithP wrote: »

So we are talking about a nine year old vehicle?

I guess its up to you to convince the person/organisation that you bought the vehicle from (not necessarily LandRover itself) that the engine should last longer than that. I imagine it may also depend on anything that may have been signed at the time the engine was previously replaced.

9 year old body, but 3.5 year old engine with only 30,000 miles on it. I don't see what the age of the chassis, bodywork and seats has to do with it . As for anything signed, I've no idea.

The vehicle was purchased from a small dealer, but the current engine was supplied by Land Rover themselves a few years later.

movilogo

Land Rover supplied an engine already which worked fine for 4 years.
Even new cars come with only 3 years warranty. So, I don't think Land Rover will pay you for another engine especially when the earlier engine covered 4 years.

Inactive

movilogo wrote: »

Land Rover supplied an engine already which worked fine for 4 years.
Even new cars come with only 3 years warranty. So, I don't think Land Rover will pay you for another engine especially when the earlier engine covered 4 years.

Unless you buy a Hyundai with 5 years warranty, or some new Kia ( same company ) that come with a 7 year warranty.;)

[Deleted User]

We just flogged our MG after the head gasket went.. we were told it would break and break and break and cost s fortune... so I got some of this stuff http://www.steelseal.co.uk/ and had a mechanic/odd job man apply it.

Fixed it up nicely.. we ran it for a few weeks then decided to part ex it

If you need your car up and running, it's pretty good stuff

mrtg0525

I'm a bit surprised at the cost of the repair, it seems a tad high for changing a headgasket. Unless of course he drove it with a blown headgasket and it's damaged other parts as well.

I doubt that you'll get Land Rover to pay for anything, in fact I'm a bit surprised that they put in a replacement engine? in the first place.

There are supposedly a few modifications you can mitigate the problem (and you have to make sure to get the right gasket) but TBH I'm amazed that your f-i-l didn't flog the car immediately after the other engine was put in. It's not like the K-series' appetite for head gaskets has been a big secret. I know I would've got rid of it sharpish.

I'd take it to a reputable specialist, get the work done and rid myself of the vehicle.

toadyfrog

My HG has been replaced twice now in about 2 years. The latest was September, now it seems to have gone again or the engine is broken. I was thinking of getting a engine from the breakers but with my luck at the moment I'll just start all over again with the same problems. My only bit of luck is brother is a mechanic so he does the work for the cost of the parts.

vikingaero

mrtg0525 wrote: »

I'm a bit surprised at the cost of the repair, it seems a tad high for changing a headgasket. Unless of course he drove it with a blown headgasket and it's damaged other parts as well.

Seems that when the HG goes on a K-series there's so little water in the cooling system that the whole head and sometimes main block goes kaput.

nej

Thanks for the replies.

He religiously checks the water on his car. Usually a few times per week. I recommended not taking it to the Land Rover dealer (where it is now), as their labour charge is probably triple-digits per hour, but he wanted to take it there. I'm sure a local guy would be able to do it far cheaper, if they had the right tools and stuff (I'm not very mechanically minded!).

I know it's out of warranty and all that, I was just wondering if there was anything under the Sale Of Goods Act for the refurbished engine (they supplied it, he paid for it, and at a later date they refunded some - not all - of the cost as compensation). As goods are meant to last a reasonable length of time, I was thinking that 3-4 years and only 30,000 miles is not reasonable for an engine that might be expected to last well over that. The onus is on the buyer to prove it was an inherent fault, and that should be rather easy, as the thing is a flawed design.

I think I'd have changed the car after the first one went, too!