Headgasket for a 4 cyl. vw jetta?

Question

im thinking about buying my aunts car off of her because the headgasket broke and shes just getting a new car instead of fixing it. this would be my first car and figure shed sell it to me for 500 or less something around that. my dad said he didnt kno exactly what a headgasket would cost for it but he does kno how to fix it with the correct parts so we could just buy the parts and not have to pay extra in labor costs to have someone do it themselves..so does anyone kno how much the headgasket would cost???

Answer 1

Go on to Rockauto.com to price the parts.

As a rule of thumb, buy a gasket set, a bolt set, and the Pink coolant.  

Answer 2

  You need to replace more than just the headgasket.  Usually there is something that causes the headgasket to become defective; most often the cause is overheating.  Given this, once you replace the headgasket, you'll need to find what caused the headgasket to blow.

Sometimes its really simple, i.e., stuck thermostat, other times it may take some investigation to determine the cause... thermal fan switch, plugged radiator, radiator fan defective, a/c control fan relay for the radiator fan etc.

    Also, you want to replace the head bolts for the cylinder head; on most years of VW's they use stretch bolts which need replacement everytime they are removed.  In addition, the cylinder head needs to be checked for both warpage and possible cracks and perhaps have the valves removed and carbon cleaned out.  This means that you'll need a headgasket set in order to perform the job correctly.

    Normally, you should figure between $50 to 125 for a headgasket set, plus oil and filter, perhaps new hose clamps, a thermostat, coolant, the head bolts, thermal switch for the radiator fan, new spark plugs, and so forth.  I would expect that normally for this type of job of spending upwards to $350.00 just for parts + labour.

    Don't forget to use the correct fluids for your car; most VW models use special coolant and some will require the usage of special synthenic oil as well.  Its almost never as simple as just replacing the headgasket no matter what make or model of car you are talking about.

    I've spent more than thirty years in the automotive service business on almost all sides; i.e., tech, service advisor, service manager and parts person, with the majority of these years working with VW's at the dealership level.

    Hope this helps, a car nut.