[bertiebasset]

My car has just this morning gone into rover to have the headgasket done. The car is a rover 200vi 1.8 vvc and they've just phoned to say it needs a new head on it... When i asked if it could be skimmed they said you cannot skim these heads as there is no clearance. Please could anyone give me some advice and facts that i could throw at them when i go down in the next 30 mins. Just not sure if there trying to pull a fast one. Cheers.

 

[SHARKYMGF]

There is only a small amount of 'extra' clearance on a standard head. When a head is skimmed this extra clearance, or a portion of it, is removed.
What I suspect has happened is that your car has had a HGF repair carried out in the past and the head was skimmed, removing the extra clearance. This means your head cannot be skimmed again as they is no longer any extra clearance available, and if it were to be skimmed the clearance would be too small, causing the valves to contact the pistons.
Do you have any record/knowledge of a HG repair being done in the past?

 

[1955diesel]

The head can be skimmed, but only by a small amount (sorry, don't know how much, but the liner stand proud tolerance for the block face is 4 thou.). Ask them for the flatness measurements of your head, a skim is not always required.

 

[bertiebasset]

There may have been hgf before but they were saying the vvc head cannot be skimmed even once... I told them some lies and said that i knew alot of people who had skimmed there head on this model and they sent a fax to head office and we got a reply that the head can be skimmed. Phwoo. Just think if i hadnt kicked up a fuss i would now be paying for a new head.

 

[jdrysdale]

Good catch, I wonder how much a new head would be

 

[paul.foran]

There may have been hgf before but they were saying the vvc head cannot be skimmed even once... I told them some lies and said that i knew alot of people who had skimmed there head on this model and they sent a fax to head office and we got a reply that the head can be skimmed. Phwoo. Just think if i hadnt kicked up a fuss i would now be paying for a new head.

Thank God for these forums. If it was not for these boards people would be paying out a lot more dosh than they have to!

 

[Amagoza]

That smells of "I can't be bothered to strip the head for it to be skimmed and lets make some money" to me.
Well caught and lets hope they do a good job putting it all back together.

 

[Stu]

What numpties.

Sure they have gone down in MGR's estimations then.

 

[rover416si]

Good catch, I wonder how much a new head would be

According to Sejin (i think he quoted it...correct me if i am wrong) 875+Vat.

So in the fax from the head office did they quote any limits/measurements? I would be interested.

 

[bertiebasset]

no i didnt get to see it all but i will try to do some more digging when i pick the car up. Price i've been quoted is £765 with vat fitted and this is for headgasket, head skimmed and a cambelt change. Is this about right????

 

[rover416si]

Ok if you can remember to ask them when u pick the car about skim limit etc.

 

[IVAN MG]

I was led to beleive it was three thou although I would imagine the amount of times its done depends on how warped it was in the first place?