I have a 1997 toyota caldina.We bought it for $3800 and have since spent about $3000 on a new head gasket and all the fun things that come from that. After finding that my car was guzzling oil I took it back and the mechanic reckons the piston rings are shot.He has suggested a second hand motor. what would I be looking at for a decent 2nd hand motor! And would you bother after spending so much already.
whynot7,
Sep 21, 8:28pm
was it using oil before you spent 3k on doing a head gasket!
elect70,
Sep 21, 8:39pm
sell it asisonly throwing good money after bad , may get an engine thats just as badmight give you a warranty on it but still have to pay to remove & replace .Ahome mechanic owner couldput new rings in itGet another car , as could cost another $3000 to put used engine in .
emmanic,
Sep 21, 8:40pm
Ive only had the car for about ten months.Didnt notice any issues when buying it (My step dad test drove it and it didnt blow smoke at that stage) The mechanic reckoned he couldnt see any other issues when they pulled the whole thing apart, but surely if it was an issue with the piston rings he would've seen that!
emmanic,
Sep 21, 8:41pm
and if I was to sell as is, what do you think would be a good price to ask for!Obviously I am a little clueless when it comes to cars.
ringo2,
Sep 21, 8:45pm
$3000 to supply and fit a head gasket. I would suggest that you find a better mechanic. And when you buy your replacement car have it checked before you buy it.
m16d,
Sep 21, 8:53pm
Just drive it. Whats a bit of smoke.!
emmanic,
Sep 21, 8:56pm
I think the majority of the cost was the labour :-( And m16d - I will certainly still be driving it, but it wont pass its next warrant which is my main concern after having "illegal" cars for years and FINALLY being a grown up and wanting to keep it legal lol
richard198,
Sep 21, 8:56pm
Why the head gasket job in the first place! ( I also have a Caldina)
emmanic,
Sep 21, 8:58pm
My partner was driving it and all of a sudden WHAM temp gage sky high and car died. mechanic said this was the cause and someone had done a patch job on the radiator previously.
ringo2,
Sep 21, 9:04pm
$2800 labour to change a head gasket. Can I do your next job for you please.
emmanic,
Sep 21, 9:05pm
wanna buy a caldina ringo! :-P
johnf_456,
Sep 21, 9:20pm
crikey thats nut could easily get another engine cheaper, Im in the trade and Id do it way cheaper than that
richard198,
Sep 21, 9:32pm
Are you trying to say that the radiator dumped the coolant, so the engine over heated and blew the head gasket! There must have been evidence/justification for gasket replacement like oil & water mix or leakage direct from head etc.!
ringo2,
Sep 21, 10:11pm
No thanks. I have a 2006 car now and have no desire to go back 10 years.
snoopy221,
Sep 22, 1:34am
Welll how did the radiator patch-up get missed on pre-inspection! And on the itemised 3000 dollar invoice how much is for cyl head straightening/repairing! And at the end of the day it was that **cooked*** it HAS done a set of piston rings as well as a cyl head. What is the engine! It is wriiten on the firewall as 3SFE.4SFE.ETC. And at the end of the day i take it ANOTHER part of the 3k bill was for a radiator!
dozerman,
Sep 22, 3:28am
Re eing it should cost around $2k .Beats buying a new car with unknown history.3K for a head gasket FFS just put new head on a 1kz toyota 2K all up.Some times hope its only the head though. Oh and a new radiator included
emmanic,
Sep 22, 5:58pm
My only wish is that I KNEW enough about cars to know whats REALLY going on lol Actually thats a lie. I have two wishes. the other one is that I was rich enough to go and buy a NICE new car that no one has touched yet
ema1,
Sep 22, 6:09pm
Or it's a matter of having it properly checked before purchase to make sure it's all sound, flaming heck you have been rumbled with that cost even with another or new radiator fitted. Even new cars have PRE DELIVERY checks to make sure there are no slip ups from assembly lines at factories .WHICH DOES HAPPEN ! and odd times get MISSED! Not being savvy with the mechanical side doesn't help I guess but that's why there are "professionals" in the motor trade with thousands of hours of training time "under their belts" to see to it that all is OK with your vehicle .but there are the scumbags in all walks of life who are going to take advantage and it sounds like you have been stung by one right here, sad to say.
a.woodrow,
Sep 22, 6:21pm
We shouldn't jump to conclusions about the 3k bill without knowing what all it entails. they may have had in addition to a head gasket and headwork: new radiator, new waterpump cambelt idlers tensioner etc, maybe new seals, may have had oil change, new plugs as you had it apart anyway, may have found some dodgy radiator hoses that were replaced etc etc without knowing the full breakdown of the job, how do you know if it was dear or cheap!
a.woodrow,
Sep 22, 6:22pm
as the original poster does say:
and have since spent about $3000 on a new head gasket and all the fun things that come from that.
richard198,
Sep 22, 8:10pm
Still not enough details from OP to give any helpful advice!
Edit: I have a very similar car that has suffered from overheating as well. With more details there may be some pointers!
elect70,
Sep 22, 10:08pm
If want to keep it put somestuff in the oil, used to be wyns oil treatmentaround thatstopped most of the oil burningenough to pass a WOf
owene,
Sep 22, 10:16pm
Put a reconditioned long block in it with a warranty $1600 + labour, est max $500 to fit. Then you have a new unit and can forget about it. You've otherwise been stolen from big time. $3k for a head job haha.that mechanic will be driving a Bentley!Who was the mechanic that did the job!
richard198,
Nov 11, 7:07am
All we know is that the car uses a bit of oil and that one mechanic has suggested an engine replacement.the same mechanic that charged $3000 for an undisclosed reason as well!
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