What is the price of changing the head gasket of your car?

The cylinder head gasket is an essential part of your car's engine. As its name suggests, its function is to make the joint between the cylinder head and the engine block. This seal must be both able to seal your engine and also prevent engine leakage. It needs a lot of attention in order to avoid a serious engine failure, which could be very expensive.

Captain-Drive.com tells you more about the the usefulness of this replacement, the change rates for this auto part, and the ways to save money on mechanic quotes.

A what is the head gasket in a car?

In a car, the cylinder head gasket is used to seal between the engine block and cylinder head . This thin seal is used in combustion engines to ensure the continuity of the cooling water circuit, the lubrication, the sealing of the cylinder head and the connection of the latter with the engine block.

The principle of the cylinder head gasket is simple. This is a piece made of metal or asbestos. The goal is to prevent the water that circulates in the walls of the engine to cool it from infiltrating into one or more cylinders . This would disturb the explosion by mixing with the oil.

If the cylinder head gasket is defective, the combustion chamber is no longer sealed. The water then mixes with the oil in the pistons and burns in the form of steam. In this case, this causes a loss of power of the engine.

This is certainly one of the cheapest parts of your vehicle, but if it's defective it can cause a serious problem that can go to the break of the engine ! Its role is central in the operation of the engine of your car, so it is very important to check its condition frequently.

Why change the head gasket of your car? What are the symptoms of a faulty cylinder head gasket?

A faulty cylinder head gasket can cause a major engine failure and will be very expensive. >. In the worst case, it may require you to change cars!

That said, do not panic!This means that the water passes through the cylinders.

These three symptoms indicate a damaged cylinder head gasket. CaptainDrive.com advises to stop quickly so as not to overheat the engine.

When to change the cylinder head gasket?

As we have shown, a cylinder head gasket that breaks can cause significant leaks in the engine, or even a complete deterioration of it.

These leaks will cause a mixture of different engine substances (engine oil, water, fuel, coolant and exhaust).

CaptainDrive.com strongly advises against trying to replace or tighten the head gasket of your car yourself . Mishandling could seriously damage your entire engine ... and bring you back to the starting point.

Replacement occurs when it is necessary to remove and refit the cylinder head, or when the joint breaks. This then communicates the cooling system and the cylinders or the lubrication circuit.

White smoke escaping from your car and visible from your mirrors is the most obvious sign that your head gasket is defective. In less than 10 km, your engine will be permanently out of order if you keep driving! Unfortunately, the best choice for you is to call a tow truck.

How much does it cost to change and replace the head gasket?

We warned you in the introduction, the cylinder head gasket is a piece that does not cost much. On average, and depending on the model of your car and your engine, you will have to pay between 35 € and 55 €.

On the other hand, labor will be more expensive because of the many hours of work required to replace the cylinder head gasket. Access to the cylinder head gasket is difficult, and the mechanic will have to disassemble the entire engine of the car to access it.

A long and tedious task. To dismount the cylinder head and replace the worn seal could cost you 600 € on average. That said, riding without worrying about it would be risky: you could break the bolt. In this case, replacing the whole could cost between 1500 and 3000 € costs ...

Conclusion? Protect your engine with special attention to the head gasket!

If you need to have your engine's cylinder head gasket replaced, be sure to compare offers beforehand. Indeed, because of the working time and the different labor costs, prices can vary significantly from one garage to another.

A real-time quote?

Captain-Drive offers the ability to directly simulate a price estimate based on your car model, via our Quote tool. Do not hesitate to visit our dedicated page.