Hi all,

Calling on all those with experience of the Petrol Mini engine!

I bought this car from a garage, and the car broke down when I was driving it home. (Previously posted for advice). I tried to get a refund on the car, but the garage said they wanted to repair. So, they "repaired" the engine in a specialist workshop - new water pump switch, and new thermostat housing. They also replaced an oxygen sensor on the exhaust. We suspected head gasket originally, but I guess they thought they would try to do a cheap fix first. I just got the car back, and the engine is stil playing up. (I can't be bothered with the original garage, as they are quite far away (transport issues) and are very, very awkward when it comes to customer service, so just want to get the repairs done myself. As others have said, I bought the car very cheap, so I can afford the repairs myself without overpaying for the car (within reason).

The symptoms:

Engine overheats after about 20-25 miles of careful (max 50mph) driving. The "oil pressure low" light comes on, and the engine smells really hot. There is no loss of oil, no change in the oil colour (the oil was recently changed, and is still a nice clear golden colour), and the engine coolant pink water is not going down. There is no sludge on the oil cap. Could it be a head gasket, or any other suggestions?

If it is a head gasket, does anyone have any experience on how much this could cost in terms of lamour hours/parts etc?

The car:

1.4 Petrol Mini Hatch One 2007 - 57 reg, 105000 miles, full service history. Last serviced about 6 weeks ago.

Any help would be very much appreciated!

Edited by mike2014uk on 20/11/2014 at 15:55