Heads gone bad...again!?!?

A year ago, we had some cylinders go bad, requiring new cylinders, heads, etc. Except the extended warranty company would not allow for NEW heads, they made us use remanufactured heads.

Well, yesterday, the car would hardly go, it was making a loud pop, pop, pop... (with a particular cylinder???) that would get louder as the rpm increased. The service engine soon light would come on, then flash, then stay steady, then flash... We limped the car home and made some calls. In came the hook, out went the Buick.

Our mechanic called this morning and has said the heads went bad again and is recommending that we sell this car before the extended warranty is up in March 2008.

Last year, when the heads/cylinders were replaced (both sides were bad), our mechanic said that there was evidence that it had been done before, which would mean that this is the 3rd set of heads this car has destroyed in 75K miles.

We've had the car only 2 1/2 years and have put only 15K miles on it in that time. This head/cylinder problem is the only real issue this car has given us, but twice in 2 1/2 years seems a bit much...and our mechanic says that, especially if we have to use remanufactured heads again, that this will only continue to occur.

Can someone tell me if this is a common problem with these engines. Should we get rid of the car? My wife loves this car, but is scared that this car will be a money pit once the warranty expires in March.

Anybody?

I've heard of the head gaskets going, but not the cylinder heads. You got a lemon IMO.

Very vague question , what exactly is wrong with the heads and what is the root problem?

I don't quite understand it myself. My mechanic says that the threads stripped on the lifter rod or something like that. (I'm IQ-deficient when it comes to these things). He said that it bent/broke the rod and damaged the heads. It happened last August on both the front and rear banks and the mechanic insisted that the heads be replaced with new ones, but the warranty people (extended warranty, not GMPP) wanted the heads to be machined at a machine shop. They compromised on remanufactured heads, which the mechanic said were inferior and thus, here we are again. This August, it was just the rear head that went bad, but the mechanic said it is the exact same thing that happened last year and that it would likely keep happening. Therefore, he is advising us to get rid of the car.

I want to believe him because in 8 years, he's always been very good to us and so far, hasn't steered us wrong.

The warranty people are sending their "Inspector" tomorrow to verify the damage and authorize the repair. The warranty representative told me today that he has never heard of this problem before at all, much less twice in one year on the same car.

Agreed, there is a piece of the puzzle missing, wait and see, post back. I used to do mechanical warranty inspections, interesting.

OK, so I just got off the phone with the warranty rep. The inspector has not yet checked out the car, so another day in the shop :frown:

He said that the complaint is that a rocker arm (lash adjuster?) bolt has pulled out of the head and pulled the threads with it. He said that he's never seen it on this type of car and definitely not twice in a years time.

So, now that I have some idea of what is going on, my questions would be...

1. Does it matter whether reman'd heads or new heads are used?

2. If it matters, is there some secret code to use to convince the warranty people to authorize new heads?

3. Are these engines prone to this type of problem?

Essentially, I am trying to figure our chances and run the cost-analysis here. The warranty is up in March. The wife loves the car but is afraid it will become a moneypit for us when the warranty expires. She's also lost trust in it. We don't owe any money on the car and are trying to avoid getting into a car payment, but it would be hard to come up with the $1500-$2500 for the next repair (cheaper than buying a new car, but hard to just come up with at once).

Yes these heads have been problematic at times for the rocker bolt pulling out. Or it was not tightened originally. You can insist on new heads or a head, but the policy circumvents that request by stating they can use like kind and quality parts. The proper procedures in doing the job are more critical than the issue of new or reman heads. Insist on an extension of the warranty period either by the dealer or the warranty company based on the history involved. I would think the replacement parts would have a 1 year warranty as it was.

Yes these heads have been problematic at times for the rocker bolt pulling out. Or it was not tightened originally... ...The proper procedures in doing the job are more critical than the issue of new or reman heads.

Our mechanic is stating that if the company wants reman heads, we can pay the $300 difference for new heads. Do you think it's worth it?

Insist on an extension of the warranty period either by the dealer or the warranty company based on the history involved...

I asked the company if there was a way to extend the warranty...they say there is not. Are you saying that possibly the dealer we bought the car from (a Buick dealer) can extend it in some way?

I would think the replacement parts would have a 1 year warranty as it was.

The reman heads we got last year did have a 1 year warranty...it expired about 20 days prior to this episode...of course.