If your auto has ever blown a head gasket, you’ll be all too aware of that sinking feeling as you realise not only is your automobile now totally undriveable, it’ll also expense the ideal part of a family members vacation to get it back on the road once again.
Even though a blown head gasket can be ‘just one of these things’, there is evidence to suggest that some automobiles are much more susceptible to the issue than other people.
And if you know the warning indicators, you could get the dilemma fixed prior to you find your self stranded on the roadside with plumes of steam coming from your engine.
Automobiles that could blow their prime
If you drive a Daewoo, MG or Rover then it could be time to take a appear below the bonnet as information from customer warranty provider, Warranty Direct, has located these makes to be most probably to suffer head gasket failure.
Head gasket breakdowns tend to hit soon after the auto is at least 3 years old – which is out of the warranty period for most makers – and charges an typical of £770 to repair.
And I can vouch for the glint in the mechanic’s eye when he sees he’s got a head gasket job on his hands as I’ve had 2 vehicles blow their gaskets, each on the exact same stretch of motorway.
While this was absolutely nothing much more than an unhappy coincidence, I could have avoided the second one quite easily had I just accomplished a bit much more analysis prior to getting – the auto in query was a 52-plate Rover 25, and I subsequently learned these vehicles are notorious for head gasket troubles, specifically as they hit the 70,000 to 80,000-mile mark.
Mine blew its prime at 77,000 miles.
The head gasket hall of shame
*It’s worth noting the analysis includes MG and Rover autos sold between 2002 and 2012 – there’s my 52-plate covered – when both brands had been undergoing a change of ownership and underwent significant adjustments.
Given that 2011, MG has been beneath the ownership of SAIC and has started introducing all-new autos.
At the other finish of the scale, the data shows cars created by Lexus and Aston Martin are the least susceptible, with fewer than one in 500 and a single in 1,000 respectively suffering from blown head gaskets.
So, what are the warning signs your automobile could be about to blow?
Blown head gasket – the warning indicators
The head gasket is positioned amongst the engine block and cylinder head and creates a seal to avoid engine oil and coolant mixing.
When it fails, the automobile will shed energy, overheat and emit white smoke from the exhaust.
The very first and most straightforward check you make is to take the oil cap off and verify the oil is not milky, you can also verify the oil on the dipstick.
This check is by no implies failsafe, even though, and so you should also verify your engine’s coolant levels.
If you notice your engine is overheating, the coolant is disappearing and there are no cracks or leaks in the coolant reservoir, take it to a garage to get it checked out.
They will verify for hydrocarbons, a presence of unburned fuel in the cooling system – if any is present, you are going to need to have to get the head gasket fixed or replaced.
Don’;t forget, prevention (in a garage) is ideal that remedy (following an unscheduled cease on the difficult shoulder).
Any head gasket tales of woe? Let us know in the box below…
Ever blown a gasket?
