Head gasket

[Baboonboy]

My friend has just taken her Nissan Micra to main dealer for service and now it's leaking oil. They say it's not their fault. It's the head gasket and it'll be a big job as the engine has to come out. Is this mere coincidence or is there good reason to be suspicious? Roughly how much would she be expecting to pay?
Many thanks BB

[MrIncredible]

My head gasket blew on a fiat punto about 5yrs ago and that cost me about £450! which i think was mostly labour!

[Whickerman]

no reason to be suspicious.

Also if she waits til it blows completely, the engine will be knackered.

[TWR]

The engine does not have to come out to do the Head Gasket Baboon, If the car was ok before it went into the Garage, Question why it is now leaking!

[AlBags]

I think it's coincidence.
Unless the mot lad took it down the motorway for a thrash (and a Micra wouln't be on my drive list) I can't see what they would do to cause it. The nearest they get is to put a temp probe into the dipstick orifice.
Head gasket easy enough on one of those.

[Buenchico]

I had a head gasket go, on a Ford Escort, last year. My (excellent) local garage charged me £487 (inc VAT) for the repair.

However I was delivering car parts for a Ford dealership at the time, so I was calling on lots of garages each day. Out of curiosity (and to check that my local garage was charging a fair price), I asked quite a few places what they would charge for the job. The cheapest figure that anyone else gave me was £500 + VAT = £600. Most places suggested that somewhere between £600 and £800 (+ VAT, making £720 to £960 in total) was a more likely figure.

If your friend gets a £500 bill, she'll probably be getting a good deal - but she might get a significantly bigger bill.

Chris

[Answerprancer]

I'm halfway through doing mine, I was quoted £1200 all in so decided to have a go myself with the help of an experienced friend. TWR is right, the engine doesn't have to come out. The exhaust/inlet manifolds and the rocker cover need to come off - that's the major part of the operation. If the garage told your friend the engine 'has to come out' in order to replace the head gasket that would make me suspicious about it coming back with an oil leak. See if you can get someone to do a gas or pressure test to see if it really has gone.

[Graham-W]

Depends where the oil leak is. As others have said, could be head gasket, but I'd be looking at the rocker/cam box gasket first. May even be sump gasket depending on where the oil's coming from. Both relatively quick, easy and cheap jobs to do. Have another garage look at it and see what they say.

[TWR]

Baboon, if your friend would have searched around instead of excepting the price quoted by the Dealers!!!! why do people use the dealers for their repairs amazes me!, you pay top prices for a job that can be done and warranted by any VAT Reg garage, when will you learn? I will still go back & Qs the dealer regards WHY does the car have this problem? when the car went for the service was it a part of the service when the coolant had to be changed? if so this is where your problem lies.

[Baboonboy]

Thank you for all your replies. Just to update. My friend took the car to an independent (and trustworthy) mechanic. The engine had been flooded with oil due to overfill at service. 1 litre drained. Trading standards and Nissan dealers have received letters. NOT a coincidence and right not to trust them. BB