Is the garage ripping me off?

I have a Vauxhall Combo LPG (factory converted) van - 2005 reg - 1 owner - immaculate condition.

There was a slight drop of water near the engine (I belive this to be a gasket - Not the head gasket) anyway i took the van to a garage which i have not used before and they done a pressure test which came back fine... he said he was going to put a new seal / gasket on which would cost me £35.

I went to pick the van up yesterday and when I got there he said he has looked at my van and it needs a new cylinder head gasket as when he had taken the other part (gasket?) off that looked ok so he put it back on, although it had coloured the water but the water had not been changed... not sure if it would need to be when taking the gasket off. So it has gone from a slight drip to a 'big job' which is over £500 estimate.

When driving the van this morning the water has gone from a slight drip to leaking out and I now have no heating?
Can't help but think im possibly being conned?
Any suggestions on whats happened or what to do?

Asked on 21 June 2012 by traceyd

Answered by Honest John
No, I don't think you are being conned. Cylinder head removal is not the sort of job garages want to take on to rip people off.
Tags: head gasket
Similar questions
I have a 2006 Ford Fiesta diesel and I'm getting a lot of oil into coolant. It still runs fine, I have put a sealer in water but makes no difference, is it worth trying to put something in the oil? It's...
I have had trouble sourcing a replacement rocker box gasket for my Rover 600 Si. Registered in October 1996, it has a Honda engine and the oil leaking from the gasket is finding its way down into the spark...
I had the head gasket on my Peugeot Boxer changed, but on the way home (after about five miles) it decided to lose power and cut out. No lights came on the dashboard, it just went dead. After a couple...
 

Value my car

Save £75 on Warranty using code HJ75

with MotorEasy

Get a warranty quote

Save 12% on GAP Insurance

Use HJ21 to save on an ALA policy

See offer