First the tranny, a few months later the damn head gasket goes...wtf

[hans007]

What year? I had an A4 for like 4 years during undergrad, almost* bulletproof

* one dead starter, one rear wheel bearing

i'm now convinced that like 1 in 10 audis is built really well and the rest of them are actually bullet sieves.

 

[The Boston Dangler]

my dads friend bought a quattroporte when it came out instead of an S class because he said, well i wanted something you wouldn't see on the road often.

the thing was such a disaster it was in the shop like 7-8 times a year. You can tell just how bad they are buy checking the used value of a 4 year old quattraporte. its something like 75% off original price

and what car is that not true of? it's called depreciation, and expensive cars lose value more drastically than cheapos. people that buy $100k+ aren't interested in long-term value, they're interested in spending $100k+.

 

[BUTCH1]

Keep in mind some cars suffer from crap design although that trend seems to be less likely than before, (up to 1998 say), I once had a Grand AM, 1989 with the "Quad-four" it blew a head gasket at 78K, when I called my mechanic and told him the symptoms(oil slick in rad) and the model car he spat out "head gasket", huh, how did he know without even seeing the car yet, "I've done about 60 of them" Then there was the fiasco with GM V6's (3.4, 3.1,3.8) with the lower intake manifold gasket leaking, don't catch it in time and the motor gets ruined, both of these were caused by using a crappy designed gasket, Fel-pro came out with aftermarket gaskets that solved both problems. My '94 Escort dropped a valve seat (although at 160K), brought the head to a machine shop and as soon as the guy saw my head he spoke out "dropped valve seat, right?" yup, poor coolant flow in the head resulted in #4 cylinder getting poor circulation, he re-did the head and installed stainless steel seats, no more problems.

 

[NutBucket]

i get the exclusivity angle , and veering off topic but that car was not that good looking, i dont get why everyone thinks maserati's (like todays grand coupe) are so great

The noise! Amazing engine noise for a luxo cruiser. If I had access to the tools I would consider buying a cheap one second hand.

 

[JoeyP]

OP: So what is the make/model of the car?

 

[CraigRT]

This is why I like simple cars so much.
I realize it can happen to any car/make but a basic Civic with a manual trans should be about as reliable as it gets in theory. (simplicity). I've had no trouble at all with mine.

 

[slag]

wtf- did you love to redline it or something? Modern cars should never have headgasket problems.

ftfy 🙂

 

[hans007]

and what car is that not true of? it's called depreciation, and expensive cars lose value more drastically than cheapos. people that buy $100k+ aren't interested in long-term value, they're interested in spending $100k+.

thats not my point, EVERY car depreciates a lot even like a tacoma or an f-150 or whatever, its not just luxury cars

the residual on a quattroporte is horrible compared to say a 7 series or an S class.

an S class or a 7 will retain like 55% after 3-4 years. a quattroporte gets 25% because its horribly unreliable.

 

[Pr0d1gy]

OP: So what is the make/model of the car?

Pontiac Montana...lol...sorry guys, no redlines or anything to see here. Never even got a speeding ticket in that thing. I just have shit luck with cars for some reason. That car that blew the tranny was a brand new 1998 Trans Am, and I never got a speeding ticket in it despite being 20 when I got it. Cars hate me for some reason.

 

[manimal]

head gasket on a 2000 3.4 montana is 18 hours book . yuck

 

[jagec]

and what car is that not true of? it's called depreciation, and expensive cars lose value more drastically than cheapos. people that buy $100k+ aren't interested in long-term value, they're interested in spending $100k+.

Only worth 25% of new after a mere 4 years? That's quite a bit higher than normal depreciation, even for a luxury car.

 

[Pr0d1gy]

Wow, 3 weeks later this shop still has my car. They said they will have it ready tonight for me to pickup but I'm worried they will screw me on the price after having it so long. What is a GOOD price for fixing this? It is a v6, he said the heads weren't warped, no cracks in the block, etc. Keep in mind he kept my car for 3 weeks and didn't bother to tell me what was wrong with it for an entire week after he got it.

He said between $900-1300 and I am thinking more like $6-700. What is a realistically GOOD price to expect considering he has held my car for ransom for 3 weeks?

Of course, he just quoted me $1382 after keeping my car for 3 fucking weeks. wtf Rip off.

 

[Doppel]

Wow, 3 weeks later this shop still has my car. They said they will have it ready tonight for me to pickup but I'm worried they will screw me on the price after having it so long. What is a GOOD price for fixing this? It is a v6, he said the heads weren't warped, no cracks in the block, etc. Keep in mind he kept my car for 3 weeks and didn't bother to tell me what was wrong with it for an entire week after he got it.

He said between $900-1300 and I am thinking more like $6-700. What is a realistically GOOD price to expect considering he has held my car for ransom for 3 weeks?

Of course, he just quoted me $1382 after keeping my car for 3 fucking weeks. wtf Rip off.

That sucks. There is already a beloved patriot in your armor from earlier in the thread, but this is why leasing cars really can be quite attractive IF you get one at a good price. You can find them all day long at $200/month (and no capital reduction if you find the right one). To have a new car with zero concerns whatsoever about its reliability it can be nice.

 

[HowlerMonkey]

Any bad driver can ruin any car in short order.......brand does not matter.

 

[deadken]

head gasket on a 2000 3.4 montana is 18 hours book . yuck

Wow, 3 weeks later this shop still has my car. They said they will have it ready tonight for me to pickup but I'm worried they will screw me on the price after having it so long...

He said between $900-1300 and I am thinking more like $6-700. What is a realistically GOOD price to expect considering he has held my car for ransom for 3 weeks?

Of course, he just quoted me $1382 after keeping my car for 3 fucking weeks. wtf Rip off.

Umm... How do you figure 'Rip off'?!?!?

Why in the world would you think the price would be %33 to almost %50 LESS than what he quoted you?

For what it is worth, you should get a written estimate if you really want to nail down a price. Of course, IIRC, in NY you can be %10 off on your written estimate and still be legal. Lastly, don't always assume that written estimates will be free.

What do you think 18 hours labor, plus parts and incidentals should cost? As others have mentioned, you don't want to go cheap on the parts (brand name gaskets, etc...). You want a quality gasket since it is so labor intensive to replace. You also will need fresh coolant and of course an oil change. Ohh yeah, most of the newer cars use 'stretch' head bolts (the torque procedure is to torque the bolt, and then tighten it by a number of degrees further). Those bolts will need to be replaced, they aren't supposed to be re-used. Hmmm, $215 - $260 for a gasket set, $35 for an oil change, $65 for a coolant flush and fill and the $1025 left over comes out to about $57 an hour for 18 hours. Not a bad price.

Come on, man... Held for ransom? Nah, I'm sure he was out cruising in your Montana. Everyone knows those are 'chick magnets'.