I have a '97 eclispse RS. It's leaking oil. I already brought it to
two different shops, and both of them were saying that the leak is from
the head gasket. It is going to cost me about $700 dollars to be
fixed. They were saying also that the leak may come back after 4-5 yrs. My
friend suggested that I buy a performance head gasket and just pay for
installation. I don't really know about cars, and I don't want to make
quick judgement because I'm a college student which means I'm broke.
What should I do? Please reply ASAP because I have to get my car fixed
before the new semester starts.
Also, let me know where is the trusted DSM mechanic around San Jose, Ca.

Well you should probably get that fixed once you have the money. You can probably get by for a while with it but our cars are notorious for bad head gaskets. Personally I think that the mechanic is full of shit with his stats there since it really depends on how you drive and maintain the car which will decide how long it lasts. Anyway, if you're new to it I would go ahead and pay the shop or try hard to find someone who knows what they're doing and help.

By the way, how much oil would you estimate you're leaking?

If you put on another (obsolete) paper composite headgasket, it will leak in 4-5 years. The new MLS (multi-layer steel) headgaskets haven't been known to ever leak when installed properly.

If you are pressed for time and haven't worked on engines before, then I would go ahead and pay a shop to do it. Weekend tuners can do it by themselves, but it's definitely not recommended for everyone--since it requires tools and setting timing. The new OEM MLS headgasket shouldn't leak as stated by those mechanics, unless the head is warped. That would require more time and money.

its leaking because the corner driver side (i think) headbolt is like 2 notches too long, and after some torque flex it wont seal properly. have them shave down the bolt a few notches or use ARP studs...

Originally posted by ajna_star
its leaking because the corner driver side (i think) headbolt is like 2 notches too long, and after some torque flex it wont seal properly. have them shave down the bolt a few notches or use ARP studs...

Are you referring to the leak that is most evident in the top right corner of the valve cover? I was under the impression that he is referring to the actual headgasket leak.