Subaru is a well-known car brand that has been known for decades. However, many Subaru drivers have reported that the 2.5-liter engines are very much susceptible to head gasket failures, namely leaking. Many drivers have been wondering if fixing their Subaru gaskets is worth it or not. Now, whether to fix your Subaru head gasket or not ultimately boils down to the value of the vehicle.
If the car is worth thousands of dollars, and in good condition, then fixing the head gasket is logical. However, if your car is pretty old and has a lot of rust among other issues, replacing the Subaru gasket might not be worth it.
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What Is Meant By A Head Gasket?
A Subaru head gasket is a thin metal strip with multiple holes punched on it. Such gaskets are placed between the cylinder heads and the block while assembling the engine. They absorb the extra energy between the two metal components and are responsible for keeping the oil in the right passages and the coolant in the right coolant lanes.
If your vehicle’s head gasket fails, then the engine won’t be able to handle the extra build-up of pressure. The explosive forces will be trapped in places they shouldn’t be and this will allow oil and coolant to drift and leak into all the wrong places.
Is It Worth Fixing Subaru Gaskets?
There are some important points to consider before you decide if you should fix your Subaru gaskets or not. Find them listed below:
Is your car regularly maintained?
It is very important to maintain your car regularly by changing its oil, catering to mechanical issues, etc. If you have been neglecting your car, then head gasket repair wouldn’t cover that. For example, if you don’t change the car oil, then the car might have been consuming oil and that won’t stop happening after the head gasket repair.
Was your car working fine before the head gasket problem?
The other parts of your car are perhaps healthy and the vehicle might have the potential to run a lot more. In this case, selling the car instead of fixing the head gasket would not be wise. If the car was working fine before it failed, then it is worth a repair.
Do you have an overheating problem?
If you keep driving even after the car has overheated or the coolant temperature gauge turns red, it’s better to not fix your Subaru head gasket. Overheating will compromise the car’s engine and cooling system. But, it is much likely that the damage caused due to overheating might not be visible before the repair.
Does your car have other issues too?
If you often skip repairs or ignore issues that can be easily addressed, then maybe you should fix them along with the head gasket repair. Sometimes the underlying concerns combined with the head gasket repair cost will result in very high repair costs. Some of the issues might even need to be addressed to fix the head gasket. Hence, you won’t have an option to skip on repairs. And so, the head repair might not be worth it.
Do you need to replace the timing belt and other parts too?
The entire engine is disassembled to replace the head gasket. So, while doing so, you can have other engine parts checked like the timing belt, clutch, drive belt, tensioners, No products found., etc. If any of these parts need replacement, you’ll have to pay a higher price along with the extra labor cost. Now, decide if the extra cost is worth it or not.
Usually, a head gasket replacement does not only replace the head gasket but also includes the replacement of the valve cover gaskets, thermostat, oil, and filter change. Other than that, replacing the cam and crank seal is also recommended. If your water pump has not been replaced for a long time, then this is a perfect opportunity to have it inspected. Moreover, exhaust hoses, spark plugs, sensors, and other small parts of the car might also need replacement.
These will accumulate a higher repair bill but will save you some money if you need to get the extra repairs done anyway. Also, in the long run, you will be the one who benefited. But, keep in mind that if your car is not good to run for much longer, these repairs will be a waste of money.
Deciding If Repairing Your Blown Subaru Head Gasket Is Worth It:
If you have an old car that is full of rust and other serious underlying issues, a head gasket replacement is probably of not much benefit. The cost of fixing your Subaru gaskets can cost up to $2000 or even more. So, you need to figure out if you want to spend that much money on your old vehicle that might not run smoothly for much longer. On the other hand, if your car is running fine, then fixing the head gasket is indeed quite logical.
How Much Does It Cost To Replace Subaru Head Gaskets?
Usually, a Subaru head gasket replacement would cost from $1,100 to $1,500. But, you might need to address some underlying problems while replacing the Subaru head gaskets and that would sum the total repair bill at $3,500 to $4,000.
The head gasket itself is not expensive at all and will cost around $40 or $50 only. However, a lot of time goes into the repair and since every car is different, you need a different amount of work to disassemble the engine, replace the gasket, and reassemble the entire thing. So, head gasket replacement is one of the most time-consuming repairs and will cost quite a bit.
To be more specific the exact cost also depends on the model year of the Subaru. And since you might need to add in other items such as the idlers, tensioners, timing belt, seals, and water pump. That would add $1000 or more to the bill.
Conclusion
If you can’t decide if fixing your Subaru head gaskets is worth it or not, figure out an approximation for the amount the repair will cost. Then, find out the amount you can get for your car by selling it without fixing the head gaskets. Now, consider if it’s better to fix the head gaskets or not. We hope this article has given you some clear insights that will help you decide if your Subaru gaskets are worth the repair or not.
