Hi
The temperature gauge on my punto went into the red today and there is no heat coming through the vents in the car, last year in Sept I had the same problem then I took it to a mechanic who said it was the head gasket he then replaced this, the car has run fine until July this year when the problem reoccured I took it back to the same mechanic who said it was the water pump this time he then replaced this, the car has run fine again until today where the problem has returned I have taken it back to the mechanic who tested the cooling system and found I have exhaust gases in it. He has tod me the head gasket has gone again, I have only covered 4000 miles in the last 12months so surely this can't be the fault again. He has said that when the water pump broke in July it has blown the head gasket and it has taken till now to come to light. Could this be the problem or was the head gasket fitted incorrectly back in Sept 08?

Ammosi, October 2009

hi did the fans work wen it over heated in september 2008 i have exacly the same problem with mine but the fans aint workin let me no if you could text or ring or email me or add me on facebook talk me throught it facebook gavin lee stephenson 07925952217

gav, February 2010

do not forget a pressure test before skimming if it's cracked you may need a new cylinder head if it is

steray, October 2009

If you drove the car while it was overheating due to the pump failure then yes, this could have caused the head gasket to fail again.
On the other hand it is possible the mechanic fitted a sub-standard head gasket last time, or did a poor job of fitting it.
It all comes down to whether you trust him to do a decent job at a fair price or if you would feel happier taking it elsewhere.
Either way, if the sniff test is detecting exhaust gases in the coolant the head gasket will need replaced.
I'd recommend you get the cylinder head checked for flatness while it's off, it is probably warped and in need of a skim.

edward t, October 2009