Should my head gasket be under warranty?

Hi, I had my head gasket done on the car last October and it has now gone again and it's only July. What I would like to know is, is the garage who did it first time required to do it under guarantee? I thought with something like that there should be some sort of guarantee with it.

Steve Rutter (Shrewsbury)

Jul 2011 Filed under: warranty

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Expert answer

Hi Steve,

This is a really tough one and it's unlikely to be a simple answer. The integrity of the head gasket relies on so many other parts of the engine, such as the flatness of the cylinder head and the torque applied to the cylinder head bolts. It would be very difficult to prove any wrongdoing by the garage that originally fitted the part.

For the same reason, it's highly unlikely that that would give any guarantee on such work. It's just not the done thing.

I'd suggest you go back to talk to them and try to come to some compromise. When you do have it done again make sure you insist that the cylinder head is skimmed and that you get a receipt for that work. It may also be worth suggesting that the cylinder head bolts are inspected, as some manufacturers require these to be replaced, which a garage may not automatically do.

I hope all that helps. Come back to us if you need to know anything else.

Shane O' Donoghue - Complete Car Adviser
@Shane_O_D