Yes mate I work nights so always up all night lol

Your best off speaking with David @ API. He will go through exactly what you will need, and advise on what's best for your budget, and will be able to tell you what's what and why its needed etc

It might be worth doing a little research as to how the boxer engine works , that way you'll get a better understanding of what all the bits do. But to be honest there are loads of people like yourself (me included) that have very limited knowledge when it comes to the internals of the engine. Almost everything I know engine wise has come from reading posts on here.

 

Thanks for pointing me out. I might give him a call this week and have a chat with him.

 

Right, I have called David at API and asked for a quote. Its £1800 for changing the head gasket. In his e-mail, he said I can also upgarde the steel con-rods which will be safe for me to run up to 450 bhp which will cost around 4k inc VAT.

Is there any garage I can buy my own parts and get it fitted by them, I can save some money this way.

 

I figure i have a similar problem... (Legacy RS 93)
two weeks ago i found the temp indicator to starting to move like floating up and down. Refilled and after pushing a bit saw water falling on the engine. Tokk the car to the mech. He took all the inlet manifold and watercooler and weld some pipes and replaced some hoses.

Well, yesterday i came back home with the car at normal speed and found 30 min later that there was a bit of water on the near the front left (lwd car) like the normal aircon leak.

At night i decided to boost it and went out to do 3 drag stints... Arrive home and there was like lots of steam around and water falling, pure water. Cleaned down the car and no more water felt from the car while idle...

Here just after boost
View My Video

Now i will boost it and go underneath to see (hope) is a hose..

 

£1800 for head gaskets?. Wtf

 

Ok... looks like some compression air is entering the water circuit... ergo, hg

 

OMG that's ridiculous
I didn't pay much more than that for my whole car!

 

£1800 can't be right surely? Im sure i've seen people saying £800-£1000 tops depending if heads need skimming?

 

sounds like you've misread something??£1800 for head gasket or rods and head gasket for £4k?
You should get an awesome rebuild for £4k that I do know.
What car are we talking about?model/year/mileage

 

£1800 is for changing the head gasket, skim head, head bolts. I don't think I have missed anything.

£4000 is for including piston, rebore and oversize piston. steel con rod.

I am asked them if I can buy the parts and they will do the job, they can but there is no gurantee which totally understand.

Still waiting for their reply for final price on the second options.

I also have other quote like £1200 for the headgasket job, and £1800 for subaru specialist.

Mine one is 2007 2.5Turbo running around 350bhp

 

If anyone know any garage can do a good job, please point me out
I got the car in less than a month and I'm on really low budget.

 

You really wan't a specialist like API to do it, otherwise you'll be doing it again soon afterwards.

Do it properly once

If your planing on going for more power then go the whole hog now, if you want it to be around the same power and not let go again then do the £1800 fix.

David is NOT a rip off merchant and when he and his boys fix it, it will stay fixed, I know it seems like a lot but that's what it costs to do it properly.

Buy cheap, buy twice, it will end up costing you £6k if you let some muppet do it on the cheap.

 

Not quite that Cookie.

On a car of that age we recommend a full refurbish, as all that will happen if someone does head gaskets alone, it'll ruin the big ends within 6 weeks and then it'll need to be done all over again.

So that is a full strip and new bearings on the crank at the same time.

David APi "Stitch in time" merchant rather than " stitch up " merchant.

LOL See what I did there? you can't learn that stuff.............

 

Fair comment. Quality always wins In the end!

 

No Doubt they are 1 of the best in the country and they know it inside out. Its just I need to figue out the budget, and try to get a lower bills as possible.

Bought the car only a month ago, only drove it for 1 week and now just parking outside my house.
WTF!

 

Sounds to me like you were stitched up like a kipper.

 

Mixed metaphors there Ditchy,

"Smoked like a kipper"

OR

Stitched up like a.........

well a......,

Ummmm.......,

Well I guess; stitched up like a stitched thing ....

LOLOLOLOLOLOLOL

 

The best way to save a good chunk of cash on the job is to buy an engine crane for ish £120 off ebay and take it out and refit it yourself as it's a large part of the cost to remove and re-fit the engine, other than that I wouldn't skimp on it if I were you.

But hey, your car, your money.

 

 

Now that makes far more sense, to be fair he didn't say that.

What is the reason for the bearings to go after a HG change btw?

 

Its not funny guys, when you spent thousands on a car, and find out you end up with another big bills

 

ditchmyster, I have never done any work inside the engine so I'm not comfortable to do that

 

Maybe buy another STI long engine (forged or OEM) and sell your internals,heads and casings?

 

Yes that its the trouble with Impreza's. They are money pits, and it's always a good idea to have some money aside for when this happens.

By the sounds of it you wanted to forge it anyway? It's unfortunate that this has happened, but if you get API to fully forge it you will not regret it. Think long term here. If you do things cheap then it will end up costing you more further down the line. As Ditchy said do it right first time.

Forge it dude!

 

Chill dude, no one is laughing at your situation.

Plenty of us on here have been where you are now, and I have personally been there twice, so I know exactly how it feels.

So you can't DIY so your only choice is someone like David @ API my advice would be bite the bullet and go for the £1800 fix if funds are a problem.

 

I am still waiting for API to get me a final price on the forge engine. Dont want any surprise bill anymore

 

David at API is as honest as the day is long.

Recommended.

 

how much was the car? do you plan to keep it?.

 

Damn, the car still just park outside the drive!

I am still thinking to keep it or sell it.

 

Did you get your car sorted out in the end?