Ask an expert


paul.schultz

We had a head gasket replaced 11 months and 18000 kms ago, we had it replaced by the company that sold us the car. It appears it may have blown again, nil case of overheating. How long do you believe a head gasket should last?
What are our options when it comes to costs etc?
When we phoned the garage they stated it should have lasted longer than that amount of time and distance.

ABayliss

I suggest taking it back to the dealer. In most cases, if servicing and maintenance are adhered to, a head gasket will last almost the life of the car, so 11 months/18,000km is very premature. You don't mention make/model/year of the car, but some cars are much more prone to head gasket failure than others. However, it's unlikely the new gasket is the cause of the failure - it's more likely that the cylinder head is cracked or porous or something else (perhaps that existed when the last repair was done, or perhaps not) is causing your current problem.
You say there's no overheating - so what are the current symptoms?

paul.schultz

I meant no history of overheating got hot twice, only drove 3 km after car cooled. It runs rough in mornings since Monday, water had splashed inside engine bay with nil broken hose that i could find. It is a Landrover freelander which i now know has a bad history with head gaskets.

ABayliss

Yes, presumably it's the K Series engine? These engines are prone to this problem and they're not straight forward to get right either. There are specific measurements for the liner heights etc, and if they are not done properly, they won't last long. I suggest taking it back to the dealer.

Anon

Very sorry to hear of your problem, I suspect cooking the engine will result in other problems, such as softening rings and valves/valve seats or a warped head, given the low K's driven between the fitting of a new gasket it would appear an issue may have been overlooked.

mikefi

My 2014 Holden Commodore has traveled more than 300,000 kilometres. The head gasket has blown. I wnt to know what it might cost to repair. Can you give me a guide as to how much this is likely to cost?

Thanks