driving along last week and had check coolant level come up.topped it up,now it has come back on tonight after 50 miles,so topped it up and it took a litre of water. just took off oil filler cap and guess what?
yes,white gunk all over it!!
would this be defo head gasket?
any info would be good ie:is it gasket?how much would it cost to get sorted at a garage?
if to much ill be selling car as a whole or taking apart to sell

Unlikely ;)

Mayo on oil cap more likely nasty oil & short journeys.

Coolant leak is likely elsewhere.

in them 50 miles i have done 40 were in one hit and the others are to and from work which is a mile each way,the oil still looks like new as it had new oil 2 months ago.
cant see a leak anywhere though,thats why i thought head gasket. the car as been well maintained by previous owner and its stamped up and only done 67k.
just cant be bothered with this no more so think ill put it up for sale. i reckon £650

s7eve v6 24v wrote on 08. Sep 2011 at 21:42:

in them 50 miles i have done 40 were in one hit and the others are to and from work which is a mile each way,the oil still looks like new as it had new oil 2 months ago. cant see a leak anywhere though,thats why i thought head gasket. the car as been well maintained by previous owner and its stamped up and only done 67k. just cant be bothered with this no more so think ill put it up for sale. i reckon £650

The 1m journeys will soon mayo up the cap, esp if its poor oil, such as Castrol etc.

s7eve v6 24v wrote on 08. Sep 2011 at 21:42:

in them 50 miles i have done 40 were in one hit and the others are to and from work which is a mile each way,the oil still looks like new as it had new oil 2 months ago. cant see a leak anywhere though,thats why i thought head gasket. the car as been well maintained by previous owner and its stamped up and only done 67k. just cant be bothered with this no more so think ill put it up for sale. i reckon £650

You checked the most usual culprit of water loss? Heater By-pass Valve at the back of the driver's side of the engine Star Ship Enterprise-ish shape.

PS Not enough posts to sell yet  ;) ;) ;)

cant see any leaks mate,i havent put it up for sale,i was just saying i have had enough of it and would reckon i would get that for it.
cant really see much under the bonnet so ill have a look in the morning in better light

s7eve v6 24v wrote on 08. Sep 2011 at 21:58:

cant see any leaks mate,i havent put it up for sale,i was just saying i have had enough of it and would reckon i would get that for it. cant really see much under the bonnet so ill have a look in the morning in better light

Operate your heater settings, a/c on & off and look for leaks on the floor towards the back of the engine - driver's side to check the HBV :y :y

Andy B wrote on 08. Sep 2011 at 22:03:

s7eve v6 24v wrote on 08. Sep 2011 at 21:58: cant see any leaks mate,i havent put it up for sale,i was just saying i have had enough of it and would reckon i would get that for it. cant really see much under the bonnet so ill have a look in the morning in better light Operate your heater settings, a/c on & off and look for leaks on the floor towards the back of the engine - driver's side to check the HBV :y :y

thanks andy b. found the culprit,that bloody hbv like you suggested. thanks for the help  :y :y :y :y :y :y

s7eve v6 24v wrote on 09. Sep 2011 at 16:44:

Andy B wrote on 08. Sep 2011 at 22:03: s7eve v6 24v wrote on 08. Sep 2011 at 21:58: cant see any leaks mate,i havent put it up for sale,i was just saying i have had enough of it and would reckon i would get that for it. cant really see much under the bonnet so ill have a look in the morning in better light Operate your heater settings, a/c on & off and look for leaks on the floor towards the back of the engine - driver's side to check the HBV :y :y thanks andy b. found the culprit,that bloody hbv like you suggested. thanks for the help  :y :y :y :y :y :y

Wahey! New HBV a lot cheaper & easier to replace than a head gasket  :y :y :y

just been quoted £108 all in which includes genuine hbv,antifreeze,labour and vat, doesn't seem to bad!
but how easy is this job to do?  seen the thread about this and it seems to be straight forward but that doesn't always go to plan....
any advice would be great   :y :y

Dead easy.  Well, a bit fiddly because of difficult access behind the engine but still more fiddly than difficult.  The part cost me £34.22 (TC) from my dealer a few months ago. Job took about an hour, plus a few quid in the swear box. 

There is a maintenance guide - check the index post in the maintenance guide section on here and it will lead you straight there.  The job basically involves taking off three coolant hoses held on by spring clips (and a push fit vacuum pipe) then putting them back on the new part.  If it was out in the open it would take you five minutes. 

Worth getting a pair of hose clip pliers because they grip the clip even in awkward locations (Halfrauds, Google).  And don't be afraid to give the whole thing a good tug to get it out of its hiding place. 

:y

If you take off the scuttle it's dead easy and should only take 20mins from start to finish including replacing the coolant :y

s7eve v6 24v wrote on 09. Sep 2011 at 17:34:

just been quoted £108 all in which includes genuine hbv,antifreeze,labour and vat, doesn't seem to bad! but how easy is this job to do?  seen the thread about this and it seems to be straight forward but that doesn't always go to plan.... any advice would be great   :y :y

As the others have said, easy to do, just awkward due to access.
Wiper arms off, scuttle out & the HBV is (almost) accessible. Don't pay someone £70odd labour for something that'll take you an hour or so to do. Coolant loss is minimal.  :y :y

s7eve v6 24v wrote on 09. Sep 2011 at 17:34:

just been quoted £108 all in which includes genuine hbv,antifreeze,labour and vat, doesn't seem to bad! but how easy is this job to do?  seen the thread about this and it seems to be straight forward but that doesn't always go to plan.... any advice would be great   :y :y

:o

If I was over at my Mum's (Fordham), I'd do it for you for the cost of the part (around £30).  Thats a high quote imho

going to replace it myself in a couple of weeks  :y

Guffer wrote on 09. Sep 2011 at 18:31:

If you take off the scuttle it's dead easy and should only take 20mins from start to finish including replacing the coolant :y

The previous owner of my car was charged 2 hours labour (£120) for this simple but awkward job....(I have the invoice)

He was also charged £320 for a new exhaust from ATS......says it all really... ::) ::) ::)

I reckon 20 mins is a bit optimistic, but 2 hours is taking the proverbial .......