2002 SL1 head gasket oil leak

They needed the car all day - 5 hour repair ... could that be cam cover ? JT

Nah thats sounds like the head but seems like the least likely place to have a leak. If it doesnt leak a lot of oil (just seeps a little) I would probably let that go unless its a loss of coolant or a loss of compression. You might seek a second opinion on that. Upsales aren't unheard of.

Thanks for your input - and your other posts in this newsgroup as well - much appreciated. If I trusted the dealership, it would be a no-brainer. My lack of trust stems from only a few dealings with them - eg they wanted to charge me $ 30. for looking for the first dye-leak - when they already had the car up for an oil change. I said "You gotta be kidding !" and they dropped the charge. .. after consulting over it ... If there was another Saturn dealer within an hour - I would be trying that route .. unfortunately - no choice. I'll maybe look for the leak myself - with a flashlight & mirror perhaps - and see what I see .... JT

I had a leak in my 2001 SL1 head gasket a 50000miles, the Saturn dealer wanted $943 to replace it. My leak was visible so I know it was really there. Two things could happen, the leak will stay the same for a long time and you really don't need to do anything or the leak could get progressively worse and the oil and water will cross contaminate at so point, which can lead to engine failure if you don't catch it in time. My choice was to just sell the car, it was getting to be time for a new one anyway!!