club.liberty.asn.au

So sadly my mechanic has said i have a slow oil leak and very soon i will need to change the head gaskets on my 03 Wagon with 225*** k's. Anyone know roughly how much this will cost to do? My mechanic hasn't told me a price yet but i wanted to get a rough idea to know if I'm getting ripped off or not.

Also theres a few other issues with the car and i was thinking about selling it to save the cost of getting them done.

Whats everyones thoughts?

Will probably be about $1500.

I'd sell it.

I'll give you the same advice I give everyone with car trouble...

If you think your car is worth less than the cost to fix it, you're likely thinking of just buying a new one.

Consider the cost of buying a new one; $20-50,000

Consider the option of buying another second hand one; $5-25,000 with all of the risks involved in buying a car with unknown history (regardless of the log book) and potentially its own impending head gasket failure

So how much is your car really worth? The right question is How much is it worth to replace vs fix?

Assuming you're looking after your current car, I'd say $1500 on a job that may not need doing again for another 200,000Kms is money well spent.

I got mine done for 2200 dollars. Still got an awesome car 40k kms later! I think it's a good one time expense.

I've thought about this also... and as per post above, I'd likely keep it if performing well in all other aspects. A lot cheaper than a new car if you get another 200,000 km out of it.

Ben.E wrote:Anyone know roughly how much this will cost to do?

I have done an MY02 Outback for under $200 for parts.
Head Gaskets, Rocker Cover Gaskets and Seals, Inlet Manifold Gaskets, Exhaust Gaskets.

I had this issue with a Subaru I bought from a "trustworthy family man" who claimed his wife drove the car to the station every day.

2002 Liberty wagon with 120,000km on the clock, was very clean for its age. So I snapped it up, only to discover the head gasket leak AND valve cover gaskets leaking.

$250 gasket kit later and about a weekends worth of work I'd replaced both head gaskets as well as valve covers, got heads machined for around $200 by a local shop and replaced all fluids. Total cost approx $700

5000km later the input shaft bearing on the 5spd has gone making the ride really uncomfortable and now I'm staring down the barrel of a rebuild or total replacement of the tranny...

If the head gasket fails, or ‘blows out’ the coolant and oil can mix, as well as allowing coolant to enter the combustion chamber – all bad things for the health of your Subaru, especially if you keep driving!

Based on the above, I've got a feeling coolant had entered the combustion chamber in my Subaru because I kept driving. Does that mean more than just replacing the head gasket?

Advice greatly appreciated.

Depends on how bad the leak is and how long the car is driven.

Is your oil milky in appearance?

Eventually the lubrication properties are lost. The worst case scenario is the dreaded peanut butter milkshake oil which can lead to piston and cylinder scouring and bearing failures in the rods or big end.

Here is an example:
https://youtu.be/cTDiLlGssGA

Is your mechanic a Subaru specialist (but not actually subaru agent) with nothing else in his parking area except Subarus, or does he do anything that turns up broken.. If he's not a specialist I wouldn't go there at all. I think you are unlikely to get out of doing the head gaskets, rocker cover gaskets, shims if it needs them plus oil and coolant etc etc for less than $2k ..Also the heads should probably be skimmed if you are planning keeping the car..If it's done properly it may last for many years..