rebuild head just due to oil leak?

Hi. I have a 2001 Outback with 100,000 on it. The local repair shop says it's leaking oil on the driver's side at the head gasket. They further say they would need to "send the head out to have it reworked" to cure the problem. I find this sort of hard to believe. Is it unlikely that just re-torquing the head bolts might stop the leak? And, if not, would just replacing the head gasket itself not be likely to stop the leak if it's installed correctly? Thanks.

Hi. I have a 2001 Outback with 100,000 on it. The local repair shop says it's leaking oil on the driver's side at the head gasket. They further say they would need to "send the head out to have it reworked" to cure the problem. I find this sort of hard to believe. Is it unlikely that just re-torquing the head bolts might stop the leak? And, if not, would just replacing the head gasket itself not be likely to stop the leak if it's installed correctly? Thanks.

 

They are right unfortunately for you. That year model range and beyond all suffer from HG failures, you may need to have the head milled to be flat to prevent future failures which is why they want to have it sent to a shop for machining.

 

Have that shop do BOTH HGs if the price is right or find another reputable shop with Subaru exp. You are looking at $1500-$2K for the repair.

What GEE said. Don't just do one.

Do both cylinder heads at the same time rather than have to tear it apart again later. Depending on how bad the oil seep is, the car may have a while before it has to be replaced if you monitor it, and continue to check and top off the oil. None the less I would fix it sooner rather than later. Oil leaks from these cars tend to also lead to coolant leaks also. Once the engine is overheated the repair will likely be more.