Run the car until the leak gets bad.

And you'll know what bad is when you see it.

It let mine go for as long as I could stand it, and oil was literally pooling on my garage floor, the undercarriage of the car was covered in oil, and the engine would smoke when I shut it off due to oil leaking on the exhaust manifold.

$1,000 is a helluva good price for the head gasket, but you ought to add $300 or so to have the head sent out for straightness and have new valve guides and seals installed.

__________________
Paul S.

2001 E430, Bourdeaux Red, Oyster interior.
79,200 miles.

1973 280SE 4.5, 170,000 miles. 568 Signal Red, Black MB Tex. "The Red Baron".