Headgasket gone? - Advice please

[callmegoose]

Just put the car in for its MOT & to change the cambelt and water pump as its due (now at 68K miles).

Got a call from the garage to say they found a leak on the cylinder head. They have cleaned it up and are adding something to the water to hopefully solve the issue (dunno what is being added). They say that if this doesn't work then it'll need a new headgasket.

I have searched the forums and general googling has come up saying you would normally get tel-tale signs of a head gasket going however I don't have any warning lights/smoke/overheating to give any inclination that it is cracked.

Anyone got any advice on what to do/ask the garage/rough costs for replacements? I seem to have no luck with this car since I bought it.


Car is an Audi S3 8P - 57 plate

 

[16VG60]

In the absence of you having any other noted symptoms regarding cylinder head issues, then I would advise you to discuss the matter in greater depth with your garage. Firstly you require to know exactly what has drawn their attention and conclusion to go ahead with use of an additive. What if any tests have they carried out to check the cooling system or cylinder pressures. Do these tests give any further confirmation of early gasket failure? Have you noted any coolant loss recently? Personally I'm not a fan of coolant system additives, they only serve as temporary at best and delay the inevitable moment to another less convenient point in time. Dependant on the additive used these can also sludge up the cooling system so again not ideal. If there is a problem then get it professionally checked, diagnosed and treated. If this is a real issue then it will not get any better, with or without additives.

 

[callmegoose]

Cheers 16VG60.

Noted those points - I'll ask the questions when I go round to collect it tonight.
Personally - not noted any coolant loss but I will follow this up.

 

[Smirky]

I'd be asking what drew there attention to it aswell as I guess u check your oil and Reno e the filler cap regularly normally the white foamy stuff is the biggest give away unless it constantly over heats ,my old mk4 gti head gasket went at 120K chucked some gasket seal magic potion stuff init and it's still going strong at 146K but a £500 golf is different to these ,as has been said get it properly checked

 

[callmegoose]

I'd be asking what drew there attention to it aswell as I guess u check your oil and Reno e the filler cap regularly normally the white foamy stuff is the biggest give away unless it constantly over heats ,my old mk4 gti head gasket went at 120K chucked some gasket seal magic potion stuff init and it's still going strong at 146K but a £500 golf is different to these ,as has been said get it properly checked

Yeh I check the oil regularly - When I first got it I had no idea how quickly they drank oil so make a point of checking frequently. Never seen any white foamy stuff underneath. only ever seemed nice and oily. Haven't had the car overhead once - Even giving it a good run means its at 90 never miles over or under once heated up.

I'll investigate further to what made them notice it. Tempted to put it into Audi themselves for diagnosis/investigation if the garage have concerns over the head gasgets condition.

 

[RobinA3]

Take it to an Audi specialist for a 2nd opinion, there are a few tests they can do to determine if the HG has failed.

 

[callmegoose]

Update:

Residue was found between the cam cover and the head right on the corner of it. He doesn't know how long its been there so isn't sure if its a lot at once or a little bit over a long time or what. He has cleaned it up and put K-seal (?) into the water in the hopes that if its only a really small crack it will seal it.

Advised me to keep a close eye on the coolant level and if any is being lost address it ASAP. If this is the case I will take it to someone else for a second opinion as well.


Cheers for the help guys.

 

[RobinA3]

thats not a HG issue!! The HG is between the block and the cylinder head not the camcover and the head!

Sounds like a common issue where the camcover gasket is leaking which is a £30 fix!

 

[callmegoose]

thats not a HG issue!! The HG is between the block and the cylinder head not the camcover and the head!

Sounds like a common issue where the camcover gasket is leaking which is a £30 fix!

One other thing he said was that there was what looks like water on the underside of the car but further forward of where you would expect it to be if the water pump had gone. Does this still suit what you are saying?

If this is the case - Is there anyway I can check myself without sticking it back in? Like I said I have no other symptoms of a headgasket failure.

 

[16VG60]

K-Seal, has no place in mine or my customers cars! As has been said previously there is definitely some confusion here over the location of HG and that which constitutes a leak. A VAG specialist is deffo that which you require. Am happy to extend my business, JMR Ltd based in West Sussex
www.johnmitchellracing.co.uk we would be happy to offset a check of this condition FOC and advise accordingly. All hinges on your location however?

 

[callmegoose]

Thanks for the reply. It could be confusion on my end from the description the mechanic gave me. I don't have the best knowledge of engines and there exact parts however I am sure I can't have been too far. I will email them tomorrow and ask for a summary of what was spotted again in writing.

As for your offer: I am afraid I am up in Aberdeen so you're a wee bit far for me. Right now my plan is to monitor my coolant levels. I have marked on the hot and cold levels in the coolant tank and will check regularly to see if any loss can be observed.

 

[callmegoose]

Can you explain what is so bad about k seal? If it's only a small leak would this not solve the issue?

 

[16VG60]

These genre of products are strictly for emergency use. Any fluid loss fault is due to a mechanical failure to one degree or another. The duty pf a workshop and the professionals at work therein is to diagnose and rectify the fault. Pouring a can of gunge does not constitute a permanent professional repair. I'm sure there are instances of such products giving longer term resolve to a fault, but personally I would rather diagnose the exact condition and give my client a 100% guaranteed resolve, as opposed to a "lottery ticket". Don't misunderstand me here, emergency products like K Seal and silicone wraps etc have a place in roadside emergencies, but not in the workshop.

 

[callmegoose]

These genre of products are strictly for emergency use. Any fluid loss fault is due to a mechanical failure to one degree or another. The duty pf a workshop and the professionals at work therein is to diagnose and rectify the fault. Pouring a can of gunge does not constitute a permanent professional repair. I'm sure there are instances of such products giving longer term resolve to a fault, but personally I would rather diagnose the exact condition and give my client a 100% guaranteed resolve, as opposed to a "lottery ticket". Don't misunderstand me here, emergency products like K Seal and silicone wraps etc have a place in roadside emergencies, but not in the workshop.

I get where you are coming from - I'd rather know the exact issue as well, even if I don't like the potential outcome of that.

I've asked the owner of the garage to email me with more specific details from the mechanic on Monday when he is back, that way I can have a written account of what he found/did to rectify. When that comes through I'll update and get some more opinions.

 

[N417H4N]

Is the Cam Cover Gasket leaking a common fault on A3's then? Mine also appears to have oil around it.

 

[Smirky]

K seal is a bit like chopping your arm off and putting a plaster on it , get it into a proper garage with a good rep that deal with performance cars all the time you don't wanna end up paying twice for the same problem ,

 

[Ricksta]

My HG went back in December but prior to it being diagnosed only my oil was disappearing no the coolant if it did It was very little to not notice and I never had any creamy oil under the cap I have a lot of exhaust steam but from what I gather off audi tfsi engines produce a lot (correct me if I'm wrong) I had a external leak in the end which audi fixed FOC but if I was you get a 2nd opinion from audi.

 

[callmegoose]

My HG went back in December but prior to it being diagnosed only my oil was disappearing no the coolant if it did It was very little to not notice and I never had any creamy oil under the cap I have a lot of exhaust steam but from what I gather off audi tfsi engines produce a lot (correct me if I'm wrong) I had a external leak in the end which audi fixed FOC but if I was you get a 2nd opinion from audi.

Hey all,

bit of a delayed response - been super busy with other things. I got a response from my garage saying there was an oil leak from the edge of the head gasket. Trying to chase up better details now.

I am not getting much exhaust steam from what I can tell. Nothing that would cause any alarm.

I am speaking to Audi now to find out the costs of getting it checked/replacement if needed. How did you manage to get it FOC?!

 

[Ricksta]

Hey all,

bit of a delayed response - been super busy with other things. I got a response from my garage saying there was an oil leak from the edge of the head gasket. Trying to chase up better details now.

I am not getting much exhaust steam from what I can tell. Nothing that would cause any alarm.

I am speaking to Audi now to find out the costs of getting it checked/replacement if needed. How did you manage to get it FOC?!

It was FOC as I only had the car 5 months before it happened and was covered by the warranty, from looking at the work sheet they gave me it was £1137 for all the work they did

 

[callmegoose]

Update for those of you who gave some input before. I went to Audi and paid the £90 for them to investigate it.

They also gave me a "free health check" while they had it in and found the following.

To replace both rear diff seals £315.52 inc
To replace o/s seal for bevel box to driveshaft £229.78 inc
To replace rocker cover gasket £203.82 inc
To replace seal from intercooler pipe £67.02 inc
To rectify incorrectly fitted heatshield £61.79 inc

Well done to RobinA3 who said the rocker cover gasket.

Everything else is supposedly leaking oil/grease. I am going to try get quotes to see how much it is from independent garages as the prices are insane for the work. I could do some at home but not all.

ou who gave some input

 

[N417H4N]

£203 to replace the rocker cover gasket is mega pricey. Sure the parts only like £15 I did mine in a few hours.

 

[callmegoose]

yeah, thats what I thought ha. I'm going to buy it and re-do mine this weekend.