Driving with either type of leak will destroy the engine, making the car totally worthless. Sorry your brother has a harsh temper. But you'll have to decide whether you want a molten engine or a hot headed brother.
If you have any interest or fascination with wrenching, and already somewhat know your way around a car, do the gasket yourself. It is just a gasket (a seal). you already have the diagnostic that says whats wrong.
And... maybe you should get a second opinion. There is no reason to do a flush on a new radiator. That's insane these guys tacked that flush on there. Its brand new! WTF is there to clean out? Nothing!
I have the exact same car and problem, weird. I want to see what others have to say. I was thinking of trading mine in too. :/
See what happens when you have tire changers instead of a real mechanic work on your ride?/! They should have diagnosed the head gasket leak before doing any other repairs. Gm has a common problem with intake manifold and head gasket leaks and an easy chemical test for exhaust gases is usually done to determine that before doing anything! I'd get my money back!
You can't really flood out a cooling system since they are full of water anyhow. It sounds like the mechanic was trying to fit an overheating problem and replaced a bunch of good parts that did not solve anything and took you for a $1000 ride. Leaking head gaskets will cause an engine to overheat. You have already spent more on the car than it is worth as a trade in. I definitely would take it to a decent shop and tell them what the last shop did for you (or to you in this case) and plane the heads and replace the head gasket. That only costs you $1000 so it would be much cheaper than a different car that might have the same or worse problems.
This is a tough one. The 01 Malibu is not that old, but it is not worth much as a trade in.(especially with a blown head gasket) You have already spent $1000 and now its the choice of spend another $1000 or walk away and look for a new car. (which may have new problems).
If you decide to trade in the car , you will get virtually nothing. You could get more by selling the parts off it. But that will take time and effort.
If you decide to fix the car, better get on it right away, do not drive around as it is.
If you decide to drive it until it finally dies for good, you might be able to go for some time if you watch the temp guage constantly and are prepared to stop if it ever starts to get hot . Carry a 5 gal. bucket of water with you and keep the radiator filled. Check it every time before you start the engine. If you go short distances and you are obsessed with keeping the cooling system filled, you may get by until it starts to freezing the fall.
But it will not be carefree driving.
I have a 2001 Chevy Malibu and I have already got the coolant system almost completely done like a new radiator, new hoses, a radiator flush, and some more type stuff that added up to like $1000.00. So they called me to pick up my car and in the same breath they told me that I had a head gasket leak-this is what flooded out the cooling system in the first place. Now, right now I am staying with my brother in Texas and I have been debating on trading my car in and getting a newer model because the people at Firestone pretty much told me that my car is at the age and time that it is going to start costing me a lot of money and problems to work on it out of pocket. Not to mention that the head gasket is going to cost about another $1000.00 but my brother is telling me NOT to trade it in.
Now when I first got here he knew about my car and he willingly told me that he would take me most places and if not then I could drive him and his wife car, while I have a job now at Kroger - so its not no big bucks, okay. But he is now telling me to drive my car and that short distances will not hurt it. But that is not what Firestone told me. They said that if I drive that car to much that it would flood out the cooling system all over again, so getting the cooling system fixed would do me no good because that is what I am trying to do is get the Head Gasket fixed. What should I do, because my brother have a harsh temper and he will put me out and send me back to Arkansas.
