chris_a

Thanks to everyone for the advice. I found a local shop in Wolcott, CT specializing in subarus and when I met the guy he seemed honest & competent. He's gonna pull the heads and have them pressure checked ?? & milled and they'll check the valves but since he didn't think I really cooked it, didn't think I'd need valve work (got my fingers crossed). He also said he'll do the intake gaskets, cam & crank seals, valve cover gaskets, water pump, timing belt (did that 2 years ago!), plugs, & wires. It's gonna cost me $1500-1600 which seems to be the best I can do around here. I hope it's worth it in the long run!! Thanks again.

I'm a newbie on the board since my overheating Outback appears to have the head gasket issue. (new tstat & cap, has bubbles, overheats intermittently, but runs ok w/out tstat installed, but obviously cold) It's got +130K miles (2nd owner). Dealers here in Connecticut are quoting around $1800-2300!! depending on how much work the head/valves need. Cheapest est so far is independent subie guy at $1500-1700. Two questions: do valves typically need work in addition to the head milling? Is valve work standard on a HG job? Also, if water pump looks ok, should I still have him replace it? A couple of dealers told me they don't usually replace the pumps unless they're leaking since those pumps are typically trouble free. Advice there? Also, is the hydrocarbon test the definitive test to ensure it's the HG? I not sure if I'm gonna find someone to do it for the $1000-1200 range I've seen mentioned on this board. Thanks in advance for any help rendered.