hi, think i am being taken as a fool by my local car garage, could you please tell me whether the piston rings are replaced when a new head gasket is installed? I paid over £1200 in november 2010 for the head gasket......last week broke down and mechanic is saying that a piston ring has blown, i have a grand voyager and have 6 piston rings in total, he's saying that now one has gone its likely the other 5 will and so better to buy a new/second hand engine. but should my piston have gone at all after 2 months?
look forward to your reply,
kind regards,
carly-ann

carly-ann, January 2011

if i where you,i would change your garage carly,
£1200. for a head gasket!!!you where ripped off
a head gasket costs mabe £12.or so £,s
even if you have to get the head skimmed due to warping,it would never cost any where no where near that sort of dosh,poor girl,

mm, January 2011

noticed slight overheating (tiny bit over half way mark) upon inspection the garage said someting about oil mixing with fuel? and it was the head gasket on way out, so we paid him to replace the head gasket. now a piston has gone, only since having gasket done, i kept thinking i had blown a tyre or driving over numerous pot holes....until one day it got worse and i realised it was something mechanical!
when i broke down the AA had a look and said blue smoke was coming out of my exhaust?.

carly, January 2011

Engine overheating can break the rings. If you only paid for a head gasket job then that would have been all you got

mags, January 2011

piston rings are generally not replaced when a head is off,if the motor was just overheating a head gasket is normally just changed but if it was burning oil,rings could also be done,a head would have to come off to replace the rings anyway,has he done a compression test?do you get blue smoke when accelerating?very difficult to say without knowing correct symptoms

cdc, January 2011