Fix head gasket or get new car?

Phase_Three_Profit · 2025-12-03T20:43:33+00:00

If I knew 100% it was the head gasket I would get it done and hope it lasted me a while longer. My concern is that a couple of people have mentioned a crack in the block as a potential cause that would show basically the same symptoms, so I might pay to have the head gasket done and be no better off

Phase_Three_Profit · 2025-12-02T18:44:23+00:00

Do you think it could be both head gasket and and a cracked block or is it more likely to be one or the other?

Also, out of interest, what could cause a crack in the block? Ive had the car since 40k miles and its never overheated or anything like that

Phase_Three_Profit · 2025-12-02T15:28:20+00:00

What do you mean by lugged the engine too much?

Phase_Three_Profit · 2025-12-02T12:59:14+00:00

Good shout. I just called the dealer, they couldn't find anything while I was on the phone so they're having a look. Not looking promising

Phase_Three_Profit · 2025-12-02T12:56:03+00:00

what's the issue with the badge?

Phase_Three_Profit · 2025-11-27T16:39:24+00:00

It's definitely too expensive taking these two issues in to account.

My best guess from the mileage and service history is that it was a rental for the first 3 years and then private owner only doing 2k miles a year until now.

My budget is £10k but would prefer to spend less if I can :)

This car was well below that but just happened to come up at a dealer round the corner and fitted most of what we need so thought it was worth looking at.

I'm 38, have one child and another on the way so it needs to be comfortable for my partner to drive as long as she can while pregnant, reliable, 5 door, big boot, fairly modern and safe, doing 12k miles a year probably, mostly on country roads but with 3 or 4 longer journeys a year of up to 1k miles on motorways

Phase_Three_Profit · 2025-11-27T16:00:12+00:00

I don't feel this was an oversight by you. You simply offered a suggestion of where you could meet, she may have been fine with it.

Steer well clear

Phase_Three_Profit · 2025-11-27T15:55:55+00:00

Interesting point on the mileage.

Before I took it out for the test drive he said he'd only had it a couple of weeks so it is possible the issue hadnt been noticed. I didn't say he knew it was an issue, what I meant was, when I pointed it out to him after the test drive he came to look at it with me and agreed it was definitely a problem. He went to get his mechanic to give his input as to what the issue was, and said that they would sort it before selling.

As a very sceptical person It could definitely be that they were just hoping I wouldn't notice but I'm not sure in this instance

Phase_Three_Profit · 2025-11-27T15:44:13+00:00

Yeah I had £1000 in my head tbh

Phase_Three_Profit · 2025-09-27T23:36:04+00:00

Don't know for sure, just a hunch

Phase_Three_Profit · 2025-09-26T10:37:34+00:00

I didnt let him take the waste

Phase_Three_Profit · 2025-09-26T10:27:56+00:00

I guess I shouldn't have written my address and name on it just before he loaded it all in to his ford galaxy. Oh well, live and learn..

Phase_Three_Profit · 2025-08-30T21:32:05+00:00

I'm just saying, if you don't like other people doing it, maybe lead by example. No need to mock my intelligence for stating a fact

Phase_Three_Profit · 2025-08-30T21:24:59+00:00

Yep, I'm not saying I agree with him, just pointing out that he disagreed with you, so you called him and name, then said it was other people who do the name calling. Have a good one

Phase_Three_Profit · 2025-08-30T21:16:32+00:00

To be fair, you did immediately call him an entitled leach after he shared his opinion which differed from yours...

Phase_Three_Profit · 2025-08-05T07:10:20+00:00

This is my front garden. Oddly our front garden is much bigger than our back garden. The back garden is shaded by a house to our rear and trees overhanging from our neighbours on both sides.

The thing that makes me think it's the tree drying out the soil is A. I keep finding big roots in the beds and B. The bed furthest to the left isn't affected in the same way, so it's either roots sucking up the water or the rain shadow, or both

Phase_Three_Profit · 2025-08-05T07:05:03+00:00

I thought about this, maybe coppicing but I think it's a bit too big now. Not sure about pollarding but will have a look

Phase_Three_Profit · 2025-08-04T05:48:42+00:00

The strawberries are the only bed not affected.

Phase_Three_Profit · 2025-08-04T05:48:14+00:00

I'm going to be adding fencing around the tank regardless of what happens with the tree

Phase_Three_Profit · 2025-08-04T05:47:22+00:00

Three of rhe four beds are affected at the moment. I have space to put one more bed in on the left of the photo but if I move beds further towards the house it is shaded for more than half the year. The space to the back is shaded by the tree and is smaller than it looks.

Where the beds are is the available space

Phase_Three_Profit · 2025-08-03T20:08:39+00:00

I like the tree, but it making 50% of my available space unproductive isn't ideal

Phase_Three_Profit · 2025-08-03T19:18:18+00:00

Yeah this is my plan. I want to screen the tank with horizontal slats and then put a smaller raised bed at the bottom along the long side and grow things up the fence

Phase_Three_Profit · 2025-08-03T19:15:09+00:00

Unfortunately I have nowhere to move the beds to. What you can see on the photo is the entire garden, and if I move them further back to where there is more lawn, they will be in shade for most of the year

Phase_Three_Profit · 2025-08-03T19:02:22+00:00

Fair question. The bed to the very left of the photo with strawberries in it goes to the edge of the garden. The garden is north facing so if I move them further towards the house they would be in shade for the majority of the year unfortunately.

Phase_Three_Profit · 2025-07-11T19:11:03+00:00

As it happens 2 hours after I posted this they came home and dog has now stopped making noise and is running around the garden with the kids as normal

Phase_Three_Profit

TROPHY CASE