Head gasket repair or cut losses?

[mefe]

I have 2006 T5 which has recently been losing coolant. Obvious external leaks have been repaired but it's still disappearing. Garage thinks now there's an internal leak and the head gasket will give way at some point. They have said that they can't give a repair cost as it could be £1k but could spiral once they start stripping the engine down, especially they might find other electrical/mechanical issues with it being 17 years old. Garage have suggested that it's not economical to repair and suggested I cut losses. Has anyone had any experience of a similar issue and could give some advice please?

Thank you - Me Fe

 

[DaveD]

I have 2006 T5 which has recently been losing coolant. Obvious external leaks have been repaired but it's still disappearing. Garage thinks now there's an internal leak and the head gasket will give way at some point. They have said that they can't give a repair cost as it could be £1k but could spiral once they start stripping the engine down, especially they might find other electrical/mechanical issues with it being 17 years old. Garage have suggested that it's not economical to repair and suggested I cut losses. Has anyone had any experience of a similar issue and could give some advice please?

Thank you - Me Fe

I suppose a lot would depend on its overall condition, mileage and value.
If it was covered in dents and rust and mechanically rough all over, it'd be an easy decision.
I suspect it's not!

If you're not prepared to spend the money on major engine surgery I'd try this;

K-SEAL Ultimate Head Gasket Repair - 472ml - K3501 | eBay

K-Seal ultimate Head Gasket Repair is the simple, permanent fix for blown head gaskets, cracked heads and blocks, and porous engine blocks. The ceramic micro-fibres in K-Seal ultimate are carefully produced so that they will seal leaks up to 0.635mm in size.

www.ebay.co.uk

 

[Sasquatch]

Do the maths.

How much could you sell it for as is?

How much could you sell it for if repaired?

Look at each number and decide which you prefer. Only you can make that decision, and best to base it upon a logical choice of outcomes rather than go with your our our gut call.

Best of luck.

 

[Lubrown]

Another option/cost to add to the equation above, as the garage cannot give a fixed cost for repair until they start taking it to bits… how much would fitting a recon engine be? Should be able to get a fixed price for that.

 

[mefe]

Thank you for the responses - the van has a few bumps and dints but nothing major. You also become a bit attached emotionally, which is always had to take out of the equation. I wouldn't have a clue on the cost to drop in a recon engine but I guess it's another avenue to explore

 

[JumpShip]

1.9 ?

 

[mefe]

1.9 ?

Yes, it's a 1.9

 

[JumpShip]

Common HG failure on the 1.9 .
Reckon the garage just doesn't wanna know .
Get some quotes and take it somewhere else .

 

[mmi]

Have you checked engine oil level?

 

[mefe]

Have you checked engine oil level?

Yes, I check regularly as it has a small leak that I've not been able to fully resolve.

 

[mefe]

Common HG failure on the 1.9 .
Reckon the garage just doesn't wanna know .
Get some quotes and take it somewhere else .

Thank you - I just need to find a good garage that knows their way around the van. I had a garage previously that 'fixed' things only for them to go wrong again. This latest one seems to know his stuff but he said if it was his then he wouldn't do the work and would look to trade it in

 

[JumpShip]

What part of the country are you in ?

 

[mefe]

We are in Yorkshire but, within reason, we are happy to travel a bit for the right garage

 

[whodat]

A bit of advice from someone who didn't want to give up their T4 ..... but did.
Main thing I would look at is - if you do get shot of your van, what will the replacement vehicle be? As in - how much are you willing to spend and what can you get for it?
With a 17 year old van you will know what repairs you've done, and when, and when the next cambelt is due, when the clutch/gearbox was last 'done' etc etc. If all of these are quite recent, then, if there is no rust on the important bits or expensive bits, you might choose to keep it.

I went with a quick sum of 'how much would it cost me per month to lease a new van' with the spec I wanted. If the repairs averaged more than that over a year - it was time to sell - and yes it did start costing me near that.
Also, unfortunately, my old one broke down on a day trip on my other half's birthday and that was the last time she went in it. As in - a big hint.
Also also, a couple of mechanics, a friend who was engineer, and a few other people who knew about such things kept on hinting about it was 'time'.
So - as much as I wanted to keep it - it was time.
Turns out the person who bought the van off me has had no problems with it at all and it has been 100% reliable (not that I would have wished anything else) - they emailed as they knew how upset I was at the time of sale!

One thing I will add - every time I got out of the old van after a half hour or more drive it would take me a few minutes to straighten up and be able to walk properly.
Thought I was just getting old.
Turns out, with the new van - no problem being in the driving seat for several and more hours - most comfy seat I've ever sat in.

Am I happy with the new van? Yes, but.....still miss the old tank. The new one has bells and whistles and will not last as long as the old one. It can't. Too much on it to go wrong. However, for the luxury and the comfort, it is worth it.

I did look at the Vivaros but am still waiting to hear back from the dealers after I enquired a year ago! I don't have any special affinity with VW - just these were the available vans to me at the time (and the dealer got back to me within 5 minutes when I emailed an enquiry at 10pm).