My 97 Camry (4 cyl.) is leaking old form the head gasket. Car has ~100K miles on it. My mechanic gave me a quote of $1,400 to repair this. He says it is a lot of labor, but the part is cheap. This seems like a lot to charge. Is anyone familiar with this repair and know what the average cost would be? It's leaking a small amount of oil on my garage floor. Of course, I don't know what is leaking when it is being driven. I really don't want to spend the money right now. Can I just top-off the oil once a week, and not get it fixed now?
Also, we have had a LOT of problems with this car with parts failing much earlier than expected. For example, the seals on the power steering went bad as ~80K miles. My mechanic, whom I take the car to regularly, noted that it is not normal to see such an extensive repair history on Camry's, as they normally have a very good record. I am looking to write a letter to Toyota. I'm sure that won't get very far, but it will feel good to vent!
Thanks,