totalnewbie
New member
- Location
- San Diego, CA, USofA
Greeting all and thank you in advance for your sage advice. I'm a total newbie, so please forgive whatever needs forgiving. I'm seeking advice and counsel regarding a 2009 GTI with 65K, affectionately named Hazel.
Recently Hazel had an oil leak, dropping half a dozen quarter-sized spots a day for about 72 hours before I could get her to the mechanic, and in the process of getting that fixed it was discovered that, and I quote the repair place, "Cylinder head, Both intake and exhaust camshafts, gaskets, bolts, and fluids are in need of replacement. Cylinder head has severe damage to head and camshafts due to lack of oil." The car was driven about 30 miles during the time it was leaking. This is quoted as a 5K repair. I can't believe that such a tiny oil leak for such a short duration would cause this kind of damage. Other than that, she's had her oil changed every 7K miles, if not sooner, and maintenance has been by the book since day one. I love and baby this car, but now I'm totally heartbroken.
My questions are:
1. In your experienced opinion, how worn are these camshafts and in using the car to drive roughly 30 miles a day to and from work, is this something that's going to fail right now, soon, or in 20K miles? I've attached pictures for your reference.
2. If this were your car, and knowing that it also needs about another 1500K in 65K service (carbon build up, CV boot and axle, outer tie rods) and you just spent $1200 fix an oil leak, would you perform the repairs or see what you could get from CarMax and hope for better luck with your next vehicle?
3. In fixing the oil leak, did I just waste about $1200 if I do want to proceed with having the upper half of my engine replaced, meaning will all that need to be replaced again?
Again, thanks in advance to everyone who can share knowledge, time and opinions with me. I'll just be here softly weeping into my hands.
Recently Hazel had an oil leak, dropping half a dozen quarter-sized spots a day for about 72 hours before I could get her to the mechanic, and in the process of getting that fixed it was discovered that, and I quote the repair place, "Cylinder head, Both intake and exhaust camshafts, gaskets, bolts, and fluids are in need of replacement. Cylinder head has severe damage to head and camshafts due to lack of oil." The car was driven about 30 miles during the time it was leaking. This is quoted as a 5K repair. I can't believe that such a tiny oil leak for such a short duration would cause this kind of damage. Other than that, she's had her oil changed every 7K miles, if not sooner, and maintenance has been by the book since day one. I love and baby this car, but now I'm totally heartbroken.
My questions are:
1. In your experienced opinion, how worn are these camshafts and in using the car to drive roughly 30 miles a day to and from work, is this something that's going to fail right now, soon, or in 20K miles? I've attached pictures for your reference.
2. If this were your car, and knowing that it also needs about another 1500K in 65K service (carbon build up, CV boot and axle, outer tie rods) and you just spent $1200 fix an oil leak, would you perform the repairs or see what you could get from CarMax and hope for better luck with your next vehicle?
3. In fixing the oil leak, did I just waste about $1200 if I do want to proceed with having the upper half of my engine replaced, meaning will all that need to be replaced again?
Again, thanks in advance to everyone who can share knowledge, time and opinions with me. I'll just be here softly weeping into my hands.
Attachments
-
1.jpg -
2.jpg -
3.jpg
