Is this a fair quote??

[heyitsEnricoPallazzo]

You would think some of the work quoted could only be diagnosed if the engine was dismantled. Was it?

 

[jezz736]

You would think some of the work quoted could only be diagnosed if the engine was dismantled. Was it?

Yeah they had to send the head away to work out if that was the problem, along with the above mentioned. Talked to him again today to tell him I plan on taking the car off him to get other quotes. He said I can't cos the valves are cracked so if I wanna take it I have to tow it out of there which doesn't make sense to me cos I was able to drive it there, I should be able to drive It out id imagine and by the time I get it towed it won't be worth the savings I'd make from getting it fixed elsewhere. So think ive decided to just put a new engine in it and sell it so I can afford to pay off the god damn MasterCard. Which sucks since this is the first car I've modded and I've only had it 4 months. Sorry to vent on you guys just bummed out. Need a violin :/

 

[acarmody]

They had to send the heads away to tell you the valves were cracked....................O......K? Are they blind?

 

[jezz736]

No dude they Sent the head away to see if that was cracked

 

[sircruisealotVS]

Yeah they had to send the head away to work out if that was the problem, along with the above mentioned. Talked to him again today to tell him I plan on taking the car off him to get other quotes. He said I can't cos the valves are cracked so if I wanna take it I have to tow it out of there which doesn't make sense to me cos I was able to drive it there, I should be able to drive It out id imagine and by the time I get it towed it won't be worth the savings I'd make from getting it fixed elsewhere. So think ive decided to just put a new engine in it and sell it so I can afford to pay off the god damn MasterCard. Which sucks since this is the first car I've modded and I've only had it 4 months. Sorry to vent on you guys just bummed out. Need a violin :/

You can't take the car anywhere because he has stripped the top end back to get the heads off to see that these valves are broken. That's why you can't just drive it away to get a quote somewhere else. Plus he can't just put it back together without at least milling the heads true and getting gasket kits etc... (costing a fair amount just there)
Also when you mentioned the "k-liner" before which you didn't understand what he meant - he was most likely talking about needing new k-line valve guides, that would be my assumption from what you said.
My advice would be to tow it to a good mechanic (ask friends and family for someone they might use or whatever) which won't cost all that much. Have them take a look and if it really is as bad as holden say, buy a second hand replacement engine without ancillaries as you can just take these off your current engine.
Don't use holden, they will charge you rediculous amounts for mediocre work.

 

[NAVZCALAIS]

If you valves are cracked its not the oil that caused it. Valves usually crack due to overheating which i think is where your water pump failure may come into it. Also did they say where exactly your valves have cracked?
A full head reco (this is for both heads) shouldn't cost anymore than 4k because thats the price i got mine done at and thats with performance parts. A streched timing chain thats something i haven't come across and its sounds sus to me. I know you can strech belts but a chain? Unless its managed to eat the teeth of the gears and is creating excessive backlash between the chain and gears. Just remember with the alloytecs they need good oil and make sure its changed regulary they have tendency to wear things like big end bearing and other tolerance fits rather fast if they are neglected. Btw don't go to holden they charge ridiculous hourly rates and it always seem like they can't do the job right. No offence any holden mechanic thats just what us other mechanics think

 

[heyitsEnricoPallazzo]

Just put in a second hand engine. Much cheaper.

More than likely if this engine is repaired something else may go wrong given the condition and suspect history.

 

[jezz736]

Cheers for the info guys really helping me make sense of all this so thanks. Na he didn't say where the valves where cracked just that they were and as for the timing chain I've never known them to stretch either unless high temperatures were the cause. That's the only way I see a chain stretching. I wouldn't know where to look for a second hand engine and due to work I haven't had much chance to have a look yet. Knowing my luck ill probly end up buying a dodgy one. Not sure how much they charge to tow either but im gunna have to send it to Newcastle which is around 85km (1:15) from singleton. So I can't imagine it being too cheap so I guess I have to find out and weigh up whether it'll be worth it or not.

 

[Aero86]

personally i think i would take my chances on a low km secondhand engine, especially if you plan on selling it

 

[jezz736]

No worries. well i ended up buying a second hand engine 89000km on the clock with a 12 month warranty for $2400 from performanceonline.com.au. Mine's done 150000km so yeah, there's a plus.