Head gasket

[pg20]

Hi All, my a4 avant (2001) pd with 236k started to loose coolant a couple of weeks ago and I've just had it confirmed that it's the head gasket. The garage I use have quoted me £800 to repair it. TBH I really can't justify spending that much on the car considering it's probably only worth a little more. They have suggested trying k seal to see if it cures the issue / temporary fix. Has anybody got any experience using k seal and if you have is it worth a try? Btw the car still drives, hasn't overheated and the coolant loss is minimal at the mo. cheers

[mikeybutch]

So how do they know its the head gasket?What engine is it and has there been any loss of performance?Its been many years since I last changed one but I would expect more than just slight coolant loss.A drop of coolant is a lot cheaper than £800 and I would wait and see but be prepared for a blow.Is there water in the oil?

[pg20]

They pressure tested the head and put dye into coolant which turned blue which (according to them) indicates a blown head gasket. There is oil on the surface of the coolant and crud on top of the coolant cap. No mayo on the oil filler cap tho. Have put the k seal into the coolant to see what will happen.

[Crasher]

£800 is too cheap, why?

[mikeybutch]

They pressure tested the head and put dye into coolant which turned blue which (according to them) indicates a blown head gasket. There is oil on the surface of the coolant and crud on top of the coolant cap. No mayo on the oil filler cap tho. Have put the k seal into the coolant to see what will happen.Assume they compression tested the cylinders .Do you know what the readings were?