# Toyota Camry 1988 Head Gasket **URL:** \ **Category:** Maintenance/Repairs\ **Created:** [March 10, 2011, 8:50pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/toyota-camry-1988-head-gasket/62468 "2011-03-10T20:50:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 3\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![carriecrider](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f1d935/32.png) [@carriecrider](https://community.cartalk.com/u/carriecrider)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2011, 8:50pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/toyota-camry-1988-head-gasket/62468/1 "2011-03-10T20:50:38Z")
Three different mechanic shops told me not to put new parts in an old engine (i.e., replacing the head gasket). They said it will cause other problems. Can anyone explain this to me? Is this a sales gimick of some kind or is this true? THANKS SO MUCH! P.S., car is in good condition and has 180,000 miles on it. ---
**Author:** ![Docnick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecae2f/32.png) [@Docnick](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Docnick)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2011, 9:24pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/toyota-camry-1988-head-gasket/62468/2 "2011-03-10T21:24:53Z")
I think they are trying to warn you that opening up a very old engine will no doubt reveal other problems, and fixing these will always cost more than the car is worth. So a good mechanic may do this and you will have a bill that is considerably more than the value of your car. In many cases, the owner just walks away, and the shop is stuck with the car. The gasket itself is cheap, it’s the labor and discovering bad valves or other problems that drive up the cost of the repair. Who is telling you you need a new head gasket, and what are the symptoms? ---
**Author:** ![texases](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/texases/32/862_2.png) [@texases](https://community.cartalk.com/u/texases)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2011, 9:28pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/toyota-camry-1988-head-gasket/62468/3 "2011-03-10T21:28:03Z")
Why are you starting this discussion all over again??? [http://community.cartalk.com/posts/list/2237803.page](http://community.cartalk.com/posts/list/2237803.page)