So much for the "perfect" 300D ... more big trouble

[Cazzzidy]

A few weeks ago I replaced the thermostat on my 300D because it was running a little bit on the cool side and took forever warming up.

When I got the old thermostat out, I tested it in boiling water and saw no action. My instincts were right, it was stuck open.

But sure enough, after properly replacing the thermostat, the car started running too hot! Damn!

I gave up and brought it to my mechanic. He replaced the thermostat again ... car still runs a little hot.

He contacts me and says that the thermostat is not the problem. He thinks the radiator is a little gummed up, speculating I might have gotten some loose debris into a bad place when I did a coolant flush. I said, "Hmm, that doesn't make to much sense ... are you sure it isn't the water pump or head gasket?"

I didn't want to spend $550 on a new radiator and labor if it wasn't going to fix the problem.

He said if it isn't the radiator, it is the head. He said the head might have a small crack in it. He added he was almost positive it is the radiator and the head is fine.

I replied, "Well, if it might be the head, lets do a compression test before we replace the radiator."

He assures me that because the overheating is so minor the crack would be small and would probably not show up on a compression test. And since the motor ran so damn good, he knew it couldn't be the head gasket. He basically assured me their was no inexpensive test to see if the head was leaking coolant.

I gave him the go ahead to repalce the radiator.

...

And yeah, it still runs too hot.

He pulled the head off and found the head gasket to be broken between two cylinders, and into two coolant channels.

I think a compression test would have told us about the headgasket problem and saved me the money on the radiator, which I didn't need.

I do not want to have to pay all of the money for the radiator. I already have a $1300 bill, I do not think I should have to pay all the money for something that was obviously his mistake.

What do you guys think?