IM just wondering,I ask an independent Mb mechanic on how much it will gonna cost to replace the head gasket on my 93 190 2.6 he quoted me $1200.Upon reading the old post some of the members of this site had a head job like replacing the guide, seals and ported and polished the head for $1000.My question is Can i just take my car to a good Hi- performance race engine builder to have my cylinder head done because if they gonna do my cylinder head of course they need to take the head and after that they need to put it back, Do I get a free head gasket job done? :D

Ron

Hey ronald,
If I am not mistaken, you responded to a couple of my posts on doing the head on my 190E. In answer to your last question, yes. I can't imagine any credible mechanic reusing the old head gasket. $1200 to do a head gasket is un real. It should probably take a good mechanic no more than 4 hours to do the job. (That's about what I estimate it would take me now) (Not that I consider myself a "good mechanic" but it certainly shouldn't take them any longer than me. I imagine the rebuild price will be slightly more than mine cause you have 6 cylinders, I had 4. Are you planning to take the head off yourself?

Kyle

Most people will say if the head is coming off, you might as well get the whole head done, it couldn't hurt, and it shouldn't make it cost much more. You should be able to find a completely rebuilt head for less than $1000 and then of course you'd have to pay labor, but the head would be like new. I believe Don Swinford mentioned a place in another post.

If its just the gasket, $1200 sounds to me to be ridiculously expensive for just a gasket.

For $1200 you should be able to get the whole head done, unless your mechanic is telling you $1200 because he is going to be redoing the head, not just the gasket, in which case the price isn't bad, not great, but nbot bad.

Alon

Try to find a good machine shop
 

and visit with the people that may be redoing the head for you. See if they are working on 4 valve/cyl types of heads. The last head work I had done was by an individual that came highly recommended and builds drag race engines for a living. You will have to be patient with folks like this but I have found it to be worth it.

Jim
'85 300D
'95 E320
'97 CRV