Rover 200 Head Gasket

[LDG]

My R reg Rover 200 recently broke down and needed a new Head Gasket. I had only purchased it 9 months before and had returned the car twice to the dealer because I was constantly having to top up expansion tank. There was no visible external leak - dealer said there was no problem. Subsequently discovered that need to top up expansion tank is a sign of Head Gasket problem and asked dealer to reimburse my repair costs which he refused. His main arguement is that I could not have driven car for nearly 9 months with failing Head Gasket - is this true?

[Jay70]

if the car was from a dealer did you get a warranty?  If you reported the water loss before the warranty expired and the warranty covers this then I would say the dealer or warranty company should be liable for the cost of replacing the head gasket.  If the car was loosing water straight after purchase and you reported this to them then I would also say they were liable.  Just a word of warning - this is a very common fault on the Rover K series engine.  When it did go completly and if the car overheated drastically the head could of warped which means the head will of needed skimming.  if it hasn't been then you may find it may go again even more prematurely.

[KebabMeister]

What engine is your Rover 200?  Petrol or diesel?  Capacity?

What eventually brought you to realise that the head gasket had gone?  It is possible that the gasket failed around the water jackets/damp liner and allowed coolant into the combustion chamber.  I would definitely challenge the garage and ask them for an explanation for your earlier coolant loss.  If they're unable to provide you with an answer then I would seek legal advice.

Jay70, I've never known K-Series heads to warp, or is this on the later larger cc models? (I worked 7 years on K series).

[LDG]

Thanks for your replies - am taking garage to small claims court. The Car Dealer disputes liabiliy although I returned the car twice duing the warranty period - he states I couldn't have continued to drive the car with a failing head gasket for 8 months (approx 8000 miles).

The car is a petrol model.