Two days ago, my 2005 Cooper S overheated. I had to have it towed to a dealership where they evaluated it. I was told that the thermometer was stuck and that my radiator had blown. They fixed both of these issues.
The dealership stated that there is a good chance that my gasket will blow within the next 400 - 800 miles.
Is there anything that I can do to prevent this from happening?
No, any heat damage has been done, however it's not a certainty. My guess is the dealer has covered themselves incase it does and you blame their work not the original overheating (which will be the cause).
That's one of the biggest handballs I have seen in a while. If they suspect the head gasket or its integrity, they should have quoted you a replacement cost and see if your willing to authorize its replacement as preventative maintenance as a minimum.
If its not leaking and there is no major distortion to the alloy head then you shouldn't have any issues. If the gasket needs to be replaced, the main thing is to check the face of the head for distortion before you refit it. You just need a steel straight edge and some feeler gauges.
If you or someone in your family is handy on the tools, all you will need is a basic toolkit and torque wrench, a camshaft locking tool and if you don't have one, a serpentine belt tool.
Modmini on youtube covers a head gasket change on a Gen 1 Cooper S so you should find it very informative. Should you choose t buy the camshaft locking tool and the serpentine belt tool, you will most likely find a DIY head gasket change plus tools will be a lot cheaper than a Dealership.
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