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I recently took my van into the repairers because I was losing water from somewhere. I was advised that the radiator tank was leaking. I was given the option for replacement or repair. I took the repair option .The repair was carried out at a cost of $720 only to be then told that the cylinder head gasket had blown and would cost in the region of $2500 to fix. As this is a 1989 toyota liteace that cost could not be justified.

Now I know nothing about things mechanical but something doesn't seem right here and surely some diagnostic skills would indicate that this gasket had gone before going to the expense of fixing the radiator.Your expert advice would be appreciated here..

Thanking you in anticipation of your reply

Without knowing a little more detail it’s a very hard question to answer and so easy to be critical of the repairer concerned.

A head gasket failure can often be the result of an engine overheat due to the loss of water. In this case the radiator was probably the main reason for the loss of water and as a result caused the engine temperature to rise above normal limits at times.

The leaking radiator was no doubt an obvious problem to the mechanic either by simple eye sight or by applying a pressure test to the cooling system.

Once the radiator had been repaired, the head gasket could easily have become the next weakest link in the cooling system chain and like the radiator become an obvious problem.

I understand your position but can’t blame the garage or mechanic entirely for the way the job was handled.

Maybe you could sit down with the garage owner and try and negotiate a reduction in the radiator repair cost. They should feel and show some empathy for you surely.