$700 in need of a head gasket.

[NeoMishMoo]

http://honolulu.craigslist.org/mau/cto/3098541101.html

The problem is I'm pretty sure this is at like one of the only mechanic's that specialize in euro vehicles on Maui. This particular shop has terrible reviews and I've heard from horror stories from many different people.

I'm thinking that a head gasket replacement shouldn't be too expensive and for $700 bucks its a good deal, my mechanic is only a couple miles away and he has being doing work on my VW.

Think there are other issues? Think it would be a good idea. BMWs are kinda sparse here and I've only seen 3 Ti's on this island. Would love to get behind the wheel of a Compact again. I miss mine I left on mainland.

[cooljess76]

The listing says it's a '98, but kidney grilles, sidemarkers and lack of mtech mirrors suggest it's a '96.

[Breticus]

Omg. M tech rear bumperrrrr. Want...

[teen ti]

buy it, worst case scenario you can't get it running and can part it out for a decent amount more than you spent on it

[NeoMishMoo]

Originally Posted by teen ti

buy it, worst case scenario you can't get it running and can part it out for a decent amount more than you spent on it

You think? Shipping to mainland from Hawaii is pretty expensive. Not sure if I could make much profit. But I would like to take at least the front and rear bumpers and ship them home for my little compact.

[cooljess76]

Why kill an otherwise nice 318ti sport for a pair of plastic bumpers? The car would be a good swap candidate, or just do the headgasket job.

[teen ti]

Originally Posted by cooljess76

Why kill an otherwise nice 318ti sport for a pair of plastic bumpers? The car would be a good swap candidate, or just do the headgasket job.

or this, actually, definitely this. can't believe i didn't think of that.

[GrandpaTuner]

Originally Posted by teen ti

or this, actually, definitely this. can't believe i didn't think of that.

Hope the Head is not warped......Could be real expensive...Look for a tiki statue in the trunk...

[NeoMishMoo]

It is at a notoriously shady shop. Supposedly a lady had a head gasket job done 6 months ago but the sensor for the fan wasn't working. The mechanics told her not to drive it but she did anyway for 5 months and the head gasket blew again...

Sounds shady. Don't think the head gasket would blow. The little plastic T-Joints would pop first from the pressure. Unless it just started steaming and the woman kept on driving it without coolant. I'm thinking something else is up. Warped head or something.

The head is off of the engine right now so why did they quit halfway through the job and why are they wanting such a small amount of money?

What swap would you suggest. There are few BMWs on maui and even fewer junked ones or engines laying around.

[cooljess76]

I don't think it sounds shady at all. Head gaskets don't just fail for no reason. They fail from fatigue due to overheating or perhaps a warped head(also due to overheating). If the initial problem was never addressed, 5 months seems generous. As far as swaps go, another M44, an M52 or an S52 would be the most logical. If you do get this car, there's always the option of doing the repair and flipping the car for a profit or just drive it. If you go this route, may I suggest you replace the entire cooling system and have the head inspected and serviced by an automotive machine shop.

[NeoMishMoo]

Just saying I don't see why a shop would go through all the trouble and time to do a head gasket job and then not fix the aux fan? Then again why would the customer not pay to have the fan fixed after just having invested so much money in the head job?

Difficult to get an engine. I don't have anywhere to park it or work on it. Don't have tools on island yet, don't really have much money.

If it were really just a head gasket then I would get it. Would be a good car for under 2k. But I'm pretty sure the head is warped. Will inspect today after work.

[deathsled]

Originally Posted by cooljess76

The listing says it's a '98, but kidney grilles, sidemarkers and lack of mtech mirrors suggest it's a '96.

my 98 sport has those same mirrors and sidemarkers. Am I supposed to have different ones?

[cooljess76]

Originally Posted by deathsled

my 98 sport has those same mirrors and sidemarkers. Am I supposed to have different ones?

Kidney grilles and sidemarkers. The reason I mentioned Mtech mirrors is because '95 clubsports came with them, while later year sport models didn't. BMW changed the style of the kidney grilles and sidemarkers in 09/96 so if your car is '97 or newer it should have the newer style grilles and sidemarkers unless someone replaced them. This should help:

[oldtin]

What I read into it is - cooling system failure - needs head work or new head + cooling system. Owner couldn't afford existing bill, much less fixing everything. Shop took possession for storage fees and wants to flip for a few bucks (ad says $650 now). Fixable for 700-800 if you diy. Fairly substantial bill if you needed a shop to deal with it. Worst case, a ti is worth 2k or better in parts. A call asking about the title will tell the story.

[eurohb]

^^
LOL!

When I did my head gasket, it cost me about 1200 or so Doing it myself.