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Author Topic: Head gasket replacement on an Astra 1.8  (Read 7890 times)

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Enceladus

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Re: Head gasket replacement on an Astra 1.8
« Reply #15 on: 15 March 2019, 14:53:17 »

The Frome car ha a short MOT with advisories, while the Wedmore car will be cheap 'cos it needs a head gasket replacing. Most e-bay Astras are from traders and jolly expensive to a man accustomed to buying Omegas under £500. Does the Astra 1.8 use heater bypass valves?
You have to ask yourself if it's just a head gasket why hasn't the vendor had it repaired. You need to factor in the cost of a replacement head from somewhere. Vauxhall will say that 16 valve heads can't be skimmed, only the older 8 valves. Trouble is that there isn't any spare metal before you are into the valve seats, so if the head is distorted then there probably isn't enough thickness available to get it flat again.

If it's just the gasket burnt out somewhere but the head is still flat, hasn't been let overheat, you can maybe clean off any crud and fit a new gasket. But you have no way to know until you get the head off and check it.

The description is spares or repair, that implies that it's good for spares only. And in that respect the current bid of £206 is about the limit of it's value, to someone who lives local and can trailer or tow it away and wants it as a donor for parts other than the engine.

You might do better searching on Gumtree.

Good luck.
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Nick W

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Re: Head gasket replacement on an Astra 1.8
« Reply #16 on: 16 March 2019, 15:34:24 »

Terry, given how easily you've managed to acquire Astras with expensive problems, then buying one with a suspected head gasket issue is daft. It would only be worth considering if you were going to be given the car and that you knew the rest of its history. Even then, due to the time and cost in fixing the problem you know about, I would suggest that you pass on it.


Your method for buying cheap snotters is all wrong: don't search for a specific model but only look at cheap cars that are local to you, meet your realistic requirements and have a long MOT. Be very critical of durability, and buy what comes up that is on the road and likely to stay that way for the length of the MOT without anything done to it. This will give you the opportunity to decide if it's worth spending money to improve it. For instance the last two times I walked to bell practices, I passed a tidy '52 Fiesta for £550 - petrol, manual, five doors, nice spec(it was a Ghia), good condition, smart metallic blue, 4 good tyres, 6months MOT. It was parked on the main road, and was gone in two days. That's the sort of thing you should be looking for.
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Doctor Gollum

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Re: Head gasket replacement on an Astra 1.8
« Reply #17 on: 16 March 2019, 17:59:15 »

This ^^^

Exactly how I have brought my last four cars... OK, I haven't made money on them, and the A Class clutch slave failing a fortnight after buying it was, um, unfortunate  ::)

But all said and done purchasing them has cost me all of £1,400. Which for four working, MoTd (6 month+) cars, isn't that bad a deal :y

Spending £400 on a 1-3 month ticketed car is money well spent.
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terry paget

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Re: Head gasket replacement on an Astra 1.8
« Reply #18 on: 16 March 2019, 21:49:03 »

Terry, given how easily you've managed to acquire Astras with expensive problems, then buying one with a suspected head gasket issue is daft. It would only be worth considering if you were going to be given the car and that you knew the rest of its history. Even then, due to the time and cost in fixing the problem you know about, I would suggest that you pass on it.


Your method for buying cheap snotters is all wrong: don't search for a specific model but only look at cheap cars that are local to you, meet your realistic requirements and have a long MOT. Be very critical of durability, and buy what comes up that is on the road and likely to stay that way for the length of the MOT without anything done to it. This will give you the opportunity to decide if it's worth spending money to improve it. For instance the last two times I walked to bell practices, I passed a tidy '52 Fiesta for £550 - petrol, manual, five doors, nice spec(it was a Ghia), good condition, smart metallic blue, 4 good tyres, 6months MOT. It was parked on the main road, and was gone in two days. That's the sort of thing you should be looking for.
My wife said, 'What good advice'.
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henryd

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Re: Head gasket replacement on an Astra 1.8
« Reply #19 on: 17 March 2019, 11:14:00 »

Nick's advice is good,no point in buying work,buying something that's up and running much better,it only take s a few weeks to know if it's something worth persevering with :y
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terry paget

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Re: Head gasket replacement on an Astra 1.8
« Reply #20 on: 17 March 2019, 21:08:50 »

Car eventually sold for £265, from starting bid of £160. I did not go to inspect, or bid.
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dave the builder

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Re: Head gasket replacement on an Astra 1.8
« Reply #21 on: 18 March 2019, 07:35:04 »

Car eventually sold for £265, from starting bid of £160. I did not go to inspect, or bid.
the £700 one with 12 months MOT did not sell yet  :-\ very odd
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terry paget

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Re: Head gasket replacement on an Astra 1.8
« Reply #22 on: 18 March 2019, 08:54:13 »

£700 buy it now with 12 months mot clicky
mot history has no nasty pointers
about as close to you as the other one  :-\

That looks ok tbh,a bit of a barter could get that cheaper :y
Interesting it's still there, as you say.

I have lent my 08 Astra to my widowed sister, aged 78. She lives 5 miles away, in Peasedown St. John. She found her Mokka too big, and had several minor parking bumps, so determined to buy a smaller car. She bought a Corsa 2 weeks ago, and soon lost control of it entering a car park, writing it off, together with 4 other cars.

 Fortunately there were no injuries, police attended but showed little interest, her insurer promptly paid out what she had just paid for it, now she is pondering what to do next.She finds life without a car difficult, hence my lending her my the Astra. The cars she crashed were both automatics. I hope she finds my manual Astra more controllable! I might yet need that Bristol car.
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dave the builder

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Re: Head gasket replacement on an Astra 1.8
« Reply #23 on: 18 March 2019, 09:04:32 »

To be honest Terry, it sounds like your sister would be better off hanging up the car keys and getting lifts or a taxi (surprisingly cheap transport if used wisely, I have one sometimes and i'm a tight git  ;D)
I appreciate buses are thin on the ground and a PITA
she can probably get help with tasks like shopping etc from local authority  :-\
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Nick W

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Re: Head gasket replacement on an Astra 1.8
« Reply #24 on: 18 March 2019, 09:16:33 »

Your sister's crash is very common, and the worst ones are always automatics. Manual cars will either stall when they've hit something, or the low gear ratio will limit the speed. Autos stay running, which allows the uncoordinated and now terrified driver to continue the crash elsewhere. Or go roaring across the car park/lawn/main road to a much worse impact.





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Andy B

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Re: Head gasket replacement on an Astra 1.8
« Reply #25 on: 18 March 2019, 10:31:01 »

The last Astra G I had was bought off eBay unseen & described as a none runner. I had the same model that was a runner but an insurance write off. The eBay car was A framed home had the fuel pump swapped over & was a runner within a few hours. It the end it turned  out to be a belting little car that cost me a few hundred quid.  :y
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Nick W

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Re: Head gasket replacement on an Astra 1.8
« Reply #26 on: 18 March 2019, 11:06:44 »

16,000 miles in 6 months in a £25 Cortina that I sold for a £5 profit. The £125 Capri that replaced it is the only car I should never have sold.
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Doctor Gollum

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Re: Head gasket replacement on an Astra 1.8
« Reply #27 on: 18 March 2019, 11:50:33 »

To be honest Terry, it sounds like your sister would be better off hanging up the car keys and getting lifts or a taxi (surprisingly cheap transport if used wisely, I have one sometimes and i'm a tight git  ;D)
I appreciate buses are thin on the ground and a PITA
she can probably get help with tasks like shopping etc from local authority  :-\
This was the reality check that my Nan needed. Twice running off the road, fortunately without incident. This was also after having her license returned following a revocation due to subsequently repaired cataracts.
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New POD

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Re: Head gasket replacement on an Astra 1.8
« Reply #28 on: 18 March 2019, 20:49:24 »

Terry, given how easily you've managed to acquire Astras with expensive problems, then buying one with a suspected head gasket issue is daft. It would only be worth considering if you were going to be given the car and that you knew the rest of its history. Even then, due to the time and cost in fixing the problem you know about, I would suggest that you pass on it.


Your method for buying cheap snotters is all wrong: don't search for a specific model but only look at cheap cars that are local to you, meet your realistic requirements and have a long MOT. Be very critical of durability, and buy what comes up that is on the road and likely to stay that way for the length of the MOT without anything done to it. This will give you the opportunity to decide if it's worth spending money to improve it. For instance the last two times I walked to bell practices, I passed a tidy '52 Fiesta for £550 - petrol, manual, five doors, nice spec(it was a Ghia), good condition, smart metallic blue, 4 good tyres, 6months MOT. It was parked on the main road, and was gone in two days. That's the sort of thing you should be looking for.

My last 2 purchases have proved reasonably successful.  (previous ones less so)

First :about 3.5 years ago I was in a rented room in Derby during the week, having destroyed the engine on a Honda Accord 2.2 CDTi.  I looked on Gumtree and a 54 plate astra 1.6 16V sport had JUST come on the market about 1 mile from me.  It had 35K on the clock, and I could not find any reason not to buy it.  £900. 
Then: a Year later I came to the conclusion that the astra was TOO uncomfortable on 16 inch alloys, rock hard seats, and rock hard suspension.  So I decided i needed any car with a 3 litre engine, auto box and cruise control.  I saw my 3.2 MV6 on www.autoshite.com  and got someone to drive me from Derby to Sunderland (on his way home from work - it was halfway) I drove it back to Derby, then home to liverpool, then the next day to Cardiff for the Half Marathon, and then back to Liverpool and back to Derby.  I did 1000 miles in the first week.
I put the astra back on Gumtree with now 55K on the clock and sold it for £850 the same day I advertised it. 
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terry paget

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Re: Head gasket replacement on an Astra 1.8
« Reply #29 on: 18 March 2019, 22:33:37 »

I see that Bristol Astra, 12 months MOT, is now reduced to £650.
I presumed my sister could drive my Astra on her exisiting policy, third party only, as 'any other car not owned by you, and insured to be on the road'. She was talking to her insurer this morning, and was told this was not the case, and she should arrange to become a named driver on the owner's policy. I tried to make her a named driver, answered lots of questions, and was given a quotation of £1368.20. I rang my sister, she said she would think about it.
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