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Expert Mechanics
200+
Total expert head gasket repair mechanicsNumber of Ratings
365
Total number of head gasket repair reviewsAverage Rating
Average user rating for head gasket repair bookingsMobile mechanic in Essex, 20 years of experience
TIM
PAUL
Rover Cabriolet • Car Won't Start Inspection
Garage in Glasgow, 24 years of experience
SARKA
Vauxhall Meriva • Cylinder head gasket replacement
ERIC
Hyundai ix35 • Major Service
Garage in Leigh, 40 years of experience
Garage in Castleford, 11 years of experience
Garage in Enfield, 30 years of experience
MBONGO
DANILO
Audi A6 Saloon • Alternator belt and tentioner n
Labour times and part prices vary depending on the particular vehicle, but to give you an idea here are some examples.
Car | Franchise Dealer estimate | Independent Garage estimate | ![]() |
Saving |
---|---|---|---|---|
Car2011 Fiat Punto Evo | Franchise Dealer Est.£359 - £412 | Independent Garage Est.£246 - £285 | ClickMechanic Est.£249 - £287 | Saving30% |
Car2004 Fiat Punto | Franchise Dealer Est.£770 - £857 | Independent Garage Est.£512 - £571 | ClickMechanic Est.£517 - £578 | Saving32% |
Car2013 Renault Grand Espace | Franchise Dealer Est.£1706 - £1935 | Independent Garage Est.£1025 - £1167 | ClickMechanic Est.£1040 - £1183 | Saving38% |
Car2012 Volkswagen Tiguan | Franchise Dealer Est.£1477 - £1691 | Independent Garage Est.£756 - £866 | ClickMechanic Est.£766 - £878 | Saving48% |
Car2001 Mercedes-Benz Vito | Franchise Dealer Est.£1095 - £1244 | Independent Garage Est.£474 - £529 | ClickMechanic Est.£480 - £535 | Saving56% |
Read our short guide with information on costs, symptoms and more.
The head gasket on an engine provides the seal between the engine block and the cylinder head to maintain compression and prevent the engine oil mixing with the coolant.
Cylinder head gaskets are typically made from multiple thin layers, normally steel and elastomer, known as multi-layer steel (MLS) gaskets. Other substances are being used, but this is the most common.
The cylinder head gasket is positioned precisely between the faces of the top of the cylinder black and the base of the cylinder head. The cylinder head is then tightened down onto the block with cylinder head bolts which are torqued to a specific force depicted by the manufacturer. Once this is done, the gasket should seal the top and bottom halves of the engine together.
In most cases the symptoms of a cylinder head gasket are pretty apparent, some however take a little know how and some tools to confirm. Typical symptoms though are;
As soon as the efficiency of the cylinder head gasket is compromised, the gasket needs to be replaced prior to the engine being used again.
If the oil and coolant has mixed, the lubricating quality of the oil is non existent and its ability to preserve the internal parts of the engine is lost. Continuing to run the engine will ultimately end in severed damage to it. The same goes for the cooling system, with the water channels and radiators becoming blocked.
Quite simply, it will not get better, only worse.
There are certain products on the market that claim to resolve a cylinder head gasket leak. Whilst in theory they could work, they are not a solution and can add to the issues further down the line and make the correct repair more expensive.
If the coolant is being lost, the engine will overheat. This is not good for the metal components of the engine and the aluminium cylinder head could be damaged beyond repair.
Whilst cylinder head gasket replacement is not as common as it was 20 or so years ago, it still occurs. Certain engines are prone to it happening and the use of smaller engines with turbochargers puts increased pressure on the gaskets.
Physically there is nothing you can do to maintain it, however, continually pushing the engine beyond its capabilities will of course cause more wear and tear on all components, including the head gasket.
Overheating through faulty cooling system components or coolant loss can end up in a failed head gasket. So check your levels regularly and if there is any failing component such as a thermostat or water pump, get these repaired before it causes bigger issues.
There are differences between engines on the exact process and components, but the typical engine will require most of the following basics to be done
As we mentioned previously, this is not a full exhaustive list of what will be done as each engine has its own requirements.
The cost of a cylinder head gasket replacement depends on your car and what parts your car's manufacturer recommends using for the replacement. Find out what you could save by having your cylinder head gasket replaced by ClickMechanic, by selecting your car at the top of this page!
One final note, if you are comparing quotations, please ensure that the quotes you have all include the cylinder head pressure test and skimming. Not all companies will include this up front, they will add it to the bill after advising you that it needs to be done once they have commenced the work.
51 manufacturers for Head Gasket Repair
Name | Clickmechanic Click mechanic average | Independent garage estimate | Franchise dealer estimate | |
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Alfa RomeoParts costs: £362.24 - £631.23 Labour time: 4-8 hours # of quotes: 367 |
£785 |
£599 - £935 |
£906 - £1,446 |
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AudiParts costs: £279.30 - £571.48 Labour time: 5-9 hours # of quotes: 3551 |
£755 |
£553 - £949 |
£881 - £1,513 |
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AustinParts costs: £240.86 - £304.15 Labour time: 3-4 hours # of quotes: 3 |
£424 |
£444 - £470 |
£693 - £736 |
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BentleyParts costs: £352.93 - £640.65 Labour time: 8+ hours # of quotes: 10 |
£1471 |
£1,325 - £1,518 |
£2,360 - £2,601 |
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BMWParts costs: £317.89 - £667.23 Labour time: 6-12 hours # of quotes: 6248 |
£881 |
£674 - £1,161 |
£1,090 - £1,873 |
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CadillacParts costs: £258.29 - £309.95 Labour time: 8+ hours # of quotes: 2 |
£802 |
£738 - £738 |
£1,265 - £1,265 |
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ChevroletParts costs: £274.15 - £543.69 Labour time: 3-5 hours # of quotes: 358 |
£572 |
£450 - £705 |
£680 - £1,046 |
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ChryslerParts costs: £365.78 - £552.34 Labour time: 4-10 hours # of quotes: 304 |
£803 |
£618 - £976 |
£941 - £1,580 |
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CitroenParts costs: £260.01 - £458.92 Labour time: 6-13 hours # of quotes: 2867 |
£809 |
£632 - £1,060 |
£1,054 - £1,809 |
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DaciaParts costs: £167.53 - £448.57 Labour time: 4-9 hours # of quotes: 17 |
£606 |
£437 - £824 |
£739 - £1,345 |
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DaewooParts costs: £197.69 - £317.83 Labour time: 2-4 hours # of quotes: 92 |
£391 |
£345 - £469 |
£531 - £725 |
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DaihatsuParts costs: £234.95 - £354.24 Labour time: 3-10 hours # of quotes: 36 |
£513 |
£441 - £794 |
£692 - £1,348 |
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DaimlerParts costs: £269.07 - £322.88 Labour time: 6-7 hours # of quotes: 1 |
£530 |
£618 - £618 |
£1,018 - £1,018 |
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DodgeParts costs: £287.65 - £460.82 Labour time: 4-9 hours # of quotes: 26 |
£652 |
£538 - £826 |
£845 - £1,341 |
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FiatParts costs: £257.79 - £402.16 Labour time: 2-6 hours # of quotes: 1664 |
£541 |
£412 - £657 |
£616 - £1,044 |
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FordParts costs: £241.59 - £424.30 Labour time: 5-9 hours # of quotes: 9064 |
£673 |
£542 - £831 |
£888 - £1,375 |
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HondaParts costs: £332.82 - £652.52 Labour time: 4-7 hours # of quotes: 427 |
£769 |
£579 - £910 |
£890 - £1,382 |
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HyundaiParts costs: £250.03 - £552.92 Labour time: 5-9 hours # of quotes: 533 |
£709 |
£536 - £905 |
£869 - £1,437 |
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IsuzuParts costs: £242.76 - £469.34 Labour time: 6-8 hours # of quotes: 11 |
£717 |
£607 - £791 |
£1,017 - £1,266 |
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IvecoParts costs: £347.80 - £594.90 Labour time: 8+ hours # of quotes: 32 |
£930 |
£852 - £1,060 |
£1,422 - £1,720 |
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JaguarParts costs: £322.72 - £622.89 Labour time: 7-12 hours # of quotes: 347 |
£946 |
£721 - £1,120 |
£1,182 - £1,820 |
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JeepParts costs: £279.27 - £580.50 Labour time: 2-8 hours # of quotes: 227 |
£678 |
£419 - £918 |
£613 - £1,445 |
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KiaParts costs: £265.36 - £526.71 Labour time: 4-9 hours # of quotes: 437 |
£671 |
£517 - £913 |
£820 - £1,471 |
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Land RoverParts costs: £342.46 - £604.82 Labour time: 4-11 hours # of quotes: 2099 |
£785 |
£613 - £1,100 |
£950 - £1,792 |
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LDVParts costs: £316.77 - £460.20 Labour time: 5-7 hours # of quotes: 24 |
£639 |
£606 - £732 |
£956 - £1,156 |
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LexusParts costs: £526.37 - £894.87 Labour time: 7-14 hours # of quotes: 267 |
£1291 |
£960 - £1,487 |
£1,496 - £2,373 |
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LotusParts costs: £207.96 - £365.47 Labour time: 5-6 hours # of quotes: 6 |
£512 |
£488 - £585 |
£808 - £924 |
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MaseratiParts costs: £342.46 - £574.09 Labour time: 8+ hours # of quotes: 3 |
£980 |
£796 - £1,096 |
£1,314 - £1,805 |
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MazdaParts costs: £284.98 - £507.65 Labour time: 5-9 hours # of quotes: 945 |
£731 |
£602 - £909 |
£973 - £1,476 |
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Mercedes-BenzParts costs: £266.24 - £545.85 Labour time: 7-12 hours # of quotes: 1785 |
£854 |
£661 - £1,082 |
£1,105 - £1,795 |
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MGParts costs: £299.87 - £452.90 Labour time: 5-7 hours # of quotes: 929 |
£609 |
£574 - £717 |
£905 - £1,130 |
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MINIParts costs: £280.78 - £525.93 Labour time: 5-9 hours # of quotes: 3412 |
£745 |
£577 - £892 |
£927 - £1,429 |
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MitsubishiParts costs: £374.72 - £629.31 Labour time: 3-7 hours # of quotes: 804 |
£732 |
£579 - £879 |
£858 - £1,336 |
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NissanParts costs: £304.25 - £592.21 Labour time: 5-9 hours # of quotes: 1399 |
£783 |
£617 - £964 |
£989 - £1,529 |
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PeugeotParts costs: £257.26 - £454.50 Labour time: 4-9 hours # of quotes: 6696 |
£671 |
£495 - £860 |
£783 - £1,414 |
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Peugeot TalbotParts costs: £318.64 - £387.58 Labour time: 4-5 hours # of quotes: 13 |
£492 |
£537 - £541 |
£817 - £822 |
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PorscheParts costs: £253.35 - £479.85 Labour time: 8+ hours # of quotes: 57 |
£897 |
£820 - £1,101 |
£1,433 - £1,877 |
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ProtonParts costs: £317.17 - £399.60 Labour time: 2-4 hours # of quotes: 19 |
£460 |
£448 - £528 |
£641 - £789 |
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RenaultParts costs: £284.50 - £441.73 Labour time: 6-10 hours # of quotes: 2677 |
£729 |
£615 - £887 |
£1,000 - £1,476 |
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RoverParts costs: £277.66 - £450.22 Labour time: 4-6 hours # of quotes: 656 |
£577 |
£534 - £697 |
£844 - £1,091 |
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SaabParts costs: £336.19 - £628.83 Labour time: 4-6 hours # of quotes: 457 |
£674 |
£568 - £831 |
£865 - £1,240 |
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SEATParts costs: £292.32 - £454.06 Labour time: 4-8 hours # of quotes: 1033 |
£615 |
£525 - £784 |
£815 - £1,263 |
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SkodaParts costs: £201.06 - £412.30 Labour time: 2-7 hours # of quotes: 804 |
£546 |
£345 - £723 |
£528 - £1,169 |
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SmartParts costs: £167.52 - £374.33 Labour time: 4-8 hours # of quotes: 116 |
£561 |
£392 - £699 |
£649 - £1,145 |
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SsangyongParts costs: £84.62 - £101.55 Labour time: 6-7 hours # of quotes: 1 |
£361 |
£412 - £412 |
£754 - £754 |
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SubaruParts costs: £452.51 - £844.33 Labour time: 6-8 hours # of quotes: 294 |
£946 |
£801 - £1,107 |
£1,237 - £1,647 |
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SuzukiParts costs: £217.93 - £431.67 Labour time: 4-10 hours # of quotes: 333 |
£651 |
£463 - £856 |
£750 - £1,420 |
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ToyotaParts costs: £288.57 - £563.52 Labour time: 6-14 hours # of quotes: 1925 |
£913 |
£656 - £1,184 |
£1,078 - £1,987 |
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VauxhallParts costs: £241.23 - £453.60 Labour time: 4-6 hours # of quotes: 16218 |
£573 |
£460 - £663 |
£725 - £1,022 |
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VolkswagenParts costs: £251.05 - £442.92 Labour time: 4-9 hours # of quotes: 4852 |
£641 |
£520 - £834 |
£837 - £1,369 |
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VolvoParts costs: £297.24 - £514.40 Labour time: 7-10 hours # of quotes: 894 |
£804 |
£694 - £965 |
£1,148 - £1,584 |
Get exact price |
Prices could not be created for 30 models. Show ∨
Estimates on repair costs, such as the above results for a head gasket repair, are created by combining data from multiple third-party sources. The actual cost of using your local repair providers may be outside of the estimated range. We provide estimates on repair costs for information only and accept no liability for any inaccuracies or errors. If you think an estimate is incorrect, please contact us to let us know.
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These recent quotes were taken from our quote engine which uses third-party industry standard data on repair times, along with a live parts retailer, and a regional labour rate to build an accurate free quote. We are constantly improving our quote engine, so please let us know if a price seems incorrect.