[Xist]

My ex claimed that the Quikvalve was leaking, according to someone, and insisted that it was installed correctly. When I repossessed the car, three different shops said that it was leaking onto the Quikvalve, but each place listed a different fault, with the last sending me to the dealership, which told me I had a bad head gasket.

The car does not overheat. There is not white smoke. It just leaks oil terribly. I had an estimate for $610 through AutoMD.com, but that shop was out of business! After checking periodically, another shop showed up at $657 before tax, but when I called, he said it would be sixteen hundred!

AutoMD apparently only estimates for one head gasket, 6.4 hours of labor. He said that it was 10.1 for both, $90 hourly; I can only guess that he marks up the $73.61 Beck Arnley Engine Cylinder Head Gasket, and a mechanic said that parts are marked up twice compared to ordering on-line, at the retail store, and by the repair shop.

I have found DIYs and people tell me this is a fourteen-hour job. Meanwhile, I am going through job listings, and the only openings for which I seem qualified pay $9 an hourly.

I am bilingual and have two Bachelor's!

So far, every shop has recommended selling it as-is; if I can take a week and fix it, I should recover more than I could make at any job that I am finding.

Is there anything I need to know before starting this, or is everyone going to tell me to dump it on someone else?