Is it worth fixing the head gasket on a Toyota Tacoma? I just bought a 2015 Tacoma 2.7L with 128,000 miles from a dealership, and it came with a warranty. I noticed some bubbling in the coolant reservoir, and after two trips to the dealer, they finally figured out it’s a blown head gasket. The good thing is, it’s under warranty, so I won’t have to pay anything. They said it’s a small leak with no cylinder head damage, which sounds believable since the truck never overheated, there’s no oil in the coolant, and no white smoke from the exhaust. They gave me a loaner in the meantime, but now I’m debating whether I should go through with the repair or just ask for a full refund. I’m worried about having issues once the warranty runs out. Any advice?
If I were you, I’d keep the truck. But I’d tell them you’re considering returning it unless they extend the warranty on the engine. Since there’s no overheating or other major signs, it’s probably still in good shape. Plus, how hard would it be to find another Tacoma with the same specs you want?
That’s a great point about extending the warranty. I’ll definitely ask about that. The thing is, Tacomas are super expensive in my area, even more so with the current inflated prices. Finding one with similar specs from a dealer that offers a warranty is rare at my price range.
By law, they have to give you at least a 12-month/12,000-mile parts and labor warranty for the repair.
That would cover the head gasket repair.
Yeah, they’re covering the whole cost of the repair. My concern is that I don’t want to run into issues after the warranty ends. This is a big repair, and if I had known about the blown head gasket earlier, I would’ve thought twice about buying it.
It depends on whether they do the job right. Honestly, I don’t even trust dealers to do quality work anymore. The fact that it needs a head gasket replacement at only 130k miles is a red flag for me. Personally, I’d get a refund, but that’s a decision only you can make.
That’s exactly what’s bugging me. It took them two trips to even figure out the problem. Feels like since I’m still under warranty, they aren’t giving me their best effort. Feels like they don’t care because they aren’t making extra money off me 
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Trust me, you’ll know pretty quickly if they fixed it right or not.
I’d say fix it and keep it on the road 
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I love the truck, but I’m really trying to avoid any future headaches once the warranty’s gone. That repair is no joke.
Just wanted to get some second opinions before deciding whether to go ahead with the repair.
Take the repair. If you’re still unsure, you can always sell it privately while using it and buy something else. You’ve got some time to figure it out, and with these crazy prices, someone will definitely buy it. I’m betting everything will turn out fine, though.