Buying a MkII 8v - H/Gasket query

[Grovit]

Hi - as mentioned in an earlier post - I'm looking to buy a MkII 8v for a grand early next year.  Hopefully I should be able to pick up a big bumper model, however, I'm not too bothered if big bumper / small bumper - more concerned on the condition of car.

However - someone mentioned that if 100,000 miles + (which it is highly likely to be) then the head gasket should have been changed.

Can someone advise if the above is rubbish, or in fact, yes it should have been changed by this point.

Any help would be much appreciated - cheers folks.

[golfvr6]

Rubbish, it may or may not have been changed, depends on the engine.

[Grovit]

hmmm, ok - although would it not be a reasonable indication of the car's condition - ie - forms a fairly significant part of the servicing that is required.

I've seen the other posts regarding what to look for - blue smoke, check the underside of filler cap etc etc , but nothing on h/gasket.  I'm trying to get a good feel of what to look for........
 

[Blue MK2]

Get it RAC checked. Ive heard they use special equipment to test for any leaks. mines done 127k and its probably worth changing it anyway?

[Alexg40]

Head gaskets just go, anytime. Loads of things can trigger them and mileage is not a good indicator of whether or not it will go.  Some new cars have head gaskets let go at less that 5000 miles, some go on to do 190000!! with no gasket change at all.

[golfvr6]

Yep if it isn't leaking then don't worry.

[Blue MK2]

What worries me is that my car is on high milage and if i redline it (which i dont) can the gasket fail then?

[golfvr6]

The gasket doesn't usually just fail, it will erode over time, usually quite a long time unless the engine overheats. If you are that worried about it, then do a compression test.

[modulater]

The major cause of gasket failures is overheating caused by dodgy thermostats or knackered thermoswitches. As long as the cooling system is in good condition then there should be no reason for the gasket to fail.

If it hasnt gone then why replace it?