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Quickly find and book Head Gasket Repairs in Portsmouth

Looking for a garage to fix your Head Gasket Repairs in Portsmouth?

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Head Gasket Inspection

Looking for a garage to fix your Head Gasket Repairs in Portsmouth?

Excellent

5,863 reviews on

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16,611,286 happy drivers can’t be wrong.

“I’m always on the go, so booking my MOT on my phone was really useful.
I compared garages, picked the best one for me and even saved money, all whilst waiting for my morning coffee!”

4.6/5 based on over 5863 Trustpilot reviews*
* Based on Trustpilot: our average rating 4.6/5 from 5,863 reviews.

Top Garages for Visual Inspection in Portsmouth (8 found)

Portsmouth MOT Test Centre Logo
Portsmouth MOT Test Centre
Portsmouth MOT Centre, Alchorne Place, Portsmouth, PO3 5QL
303 Reviews
Family run businessOver 40 years experience

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We are a well established, reliable and family run business based in Portsmouth Established in Portsmouth and with over 40 years experience, we have built a large portfolio of happy and satisfied customers, priding ourselves on professionalism, cleanliness, and an attitude that customers come fir...

Drayton MOT Centre Logo
Drayton MOT Centre
192 Havant Road, Drayton, Portsmouth, PO6 2EH
270 Reviews
With over 30 years’ experienceWe provide 5 star serviceCall us for additional service options

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With over 30 years’ experience in the industry, our team at Drayton MOT centre guarantees a reliable and efficient service. Our fully trained mechanics are experts in providing quality original equipment parts or equivalent parts; sourcing and testing to the quality to make sure they’re good enough ...

PGS Ltd Logo
PGS Ltd
PGS Garage Services, Unit 1a, Hamilton Road, Cosham, Portsmouth, PO6 4QE
248 Reviews
We are an RAC Approved GarageCourtesy Car available

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PGS Garage have an excellent reputation within the local areas including Portsmouth and surrounding locations. Excellent customer service and explanation of work. We pride ourselves on our commitment to provide a professional and speedy service at all times, whilst maintaining the highest quality...

Nistec UK Ltd Logo
Nistec UK Ltd
Unit 1 Copnor Bridge Business Park, Milton Road, Portsmouth, PO3 6AP
136 Reviews
28yrs combined main dealership exp

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Nistec UK are Portsmouth’s No. 1 independent service provider for Nissan and Vauxhall owners. With 22 years of combined main dealership experience, Adam and Ben have set up their own specialist garage. Our mechanics are highly qualified and experienced to offer the quality of a main dealer at a sen...

Drive-in Automotive Logo
Drive-in Automotive
Durham Street, Portsmouth, PO1 1NA
94 Reviews
Fully trained mechanicsLocated in City Centre

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Please call if you need a same day appointment CITY CENTRE location an ideal place to have work carried out on your vehicle . Bob and Mario lead a team of fully trained mechanics, dedicated to giving a high level of quality workmanship. Using some of the latest equipment we endeavour to give a quick...

Alexander Autos Logo
Alexander Autos
32 Portsmouth Enterprise Centre, Quartremaine Road, Portsmouth, PO3 5QT
8 Reviews
All Makes/Models Welcome

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Here are some of the services we can provide; *Main Dealer Level Servicing and Repairs for all makes and models *Tyres *Wheel alignment *MOT *Economy or Performance Tuning (Remapping) *Air Conditioning Service *Brakes *Brake disc skimming

What is a head gasket?

The head gasket in your car separates the oil and the coolant in the engine. As its name suggests, it is a gasket, which is located between the cylinder head and the engine block - in the car’s engine. Its main function is to seal the cylinders to ensure the highest compression possible and separates the oil and water; oil to lubricate the engine and water to cool the engine. The head gasket also ensures that the whole internal combustion process is contained within the engine.

Why is a head gasket important?

The head gasket is a critical sealing component of your vehicle's engine. Any potential problem with your head gasket should be dealt with immediately as it can lead to more severe issues developing, which if ignored will increase the cost of your repairs. Once a head gasket is blown, it can cause further damage to your vehicle's engine such as leaks, loss of water, decreased fuel efficiency and overheating. The longer you drive with a blown head gasket, the more damage it will cause to your engine. In the worst cases scenario, if left for a long time you could be looking at a complete engine replacement. That's why you must book a head gasket repair promptly if you notice any of the following warning signs.

What causes head gasket problems?

The head gasket is a very important part of an engine. It can fail due to the engine overheating so it’s always important that you check your coolant level regularly (when the car has cooled down). If you are having to top up your coolant regularly and you can see no water leaks on the ground, then this is a sign that you have a head gasket problem and you should have this checked out as soon as possible. One of the main causes of a damaged head gasket is extremely high engine temperature, and an overheating engine temperature is often caused by a coolant leak. There could be other reasons behind a head gasket failure, including; incorrect coolant inhibitor, the cooling system not working efficiently causing hotspots between the centre cylinders, and pre-ignition problems.

How do you know if you have blown a head gasket?

Warning bells should be ringing if:

  • your car's coolant level warning light is on (if the car has one),
  • on checking coolant (when the engine is cold) - the level is very low, or if your engine is showing a very high temperature on the coolant temperature gauge (if fitted)
  • your vehicle is not running smoothly, or you see light coloured smoke coming out of the exhaust pipe or white discoloured oil on the engine oil level dipstick
These could all be signs of a blown head gasket and should be promptly seen to by a mechanic.

 

Can you drive your car with a blown head gasket?

If you suspect that your car has a blown head gasket, do not try to drive it and have it seen to by a mechanic promptly. They may need to have your car towed to their garage to diagnose the issue and either repair or replace the part(s).

How much does it cost to replace a head gasket?

Repairing and replacing a head gasket often requires:

  • A new gasket kit and replacement bolts.
  • Testing and flattening the cylinder head.
  • Replacement of oil filter, oil and ant-freeze.

 

Head gasket repairs will require the engine cylinder head being removed from the engine block as the gasket sits between these two components. The cylinder head may need to be resurfaced and new bolts will need to be fitted as they can stretch. The work will also involve changing the engine oil and coolant, and all water hoses will be checked at the same time.

If the cylinder head is cracked, it can sometimes be repaired by first being pressure-tested to detect any cracking or warping, which are the results of the high temperatures in which it operates, then being skimmed flat to return it to its proper shape.

As soon as you suspect that you may have a blown head gasket, you should get booked into a garage to have it replaced. The parts and labour costs will vary depending on the garage that you choose to take your car to. All of the above work will probably take a mechanic roughly six hours (depending on the severity) and you have to take this labour into consideration on top of the parts required. Each garage has its own hourly rate and if you enter your vehicle registration number and post code at the top of this page, you’ll be able to compare the labour rates, reviews, distance, and more from all of the top garages in your local area. This allows you to choose a garage that you can trust for a rough price point that is suitable for you.

Driving in Portsmouth

This waterfront city in Hampshire is the most densely populated city in the UK. This means that traffic can build at Portsmouth’s rush hour, but that it’s also packed with things to do and see for all ages.

Tourists are drawn to the area for its proximity to the sea, but Portsmouth’s naval history is also a prominent feature with numerous related attractions, such as The Historic Dockyard, the D-Day Museum, the Royal Naval Museum, and the Royal Marines Museum. A number of iconic ships adorn the dockyard such as the HMS Victory, the HMS Warrior and Henry VIII’s Tudor warship the Mary Rose. For those who can handle heights, there are marvellous views from the observation deck of the Spinnaker Tower, a sweep of glass and steel shaped like a sail, which lays claim to being Britain's tallest tower outside London.

Portsmouth has a prestigious literary history and is the birthplace of many celebrated authors from Sir Arthur Conan Doyle to Michelle Magorian, H.G. Wells to Neil Gaiman and most notably, Charles Dickens. The modest house in Old Commercial Road was his former abode and has been restyled to resemble the original Dickens family home.

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Head Gasket Inspection