Exhaust Gasket leak and stud broke

[snmazer]

sometimes, not always, when I start up my 03, I get a loud hissing sound from under the hood. Sometimes it lasts a half a second, sometimes 10 seconds. Happens in spring, summer, fall,...but never in winter!
Does this sound similiar to what you experienced with the broken header bolts? I cant pin point what the problem is.

Scott

[mbdougl]

Get a price a a reputable repair shop. I got a price on replacing the faulty mirrors on my 04 and they wanted $1800, even the service guy said I would be better off getting them off ebay. I checked with a local body shop and they said they would put them on for $100. Dealers are really only good for warranty work!

[H2Much]

Agreed. I had one of those worthless exhaust manfold bolts break off in my engine head, had to have the head pulled. Even after that, the mechanic broke every drill bit known to man trying to drill it out so had to send it to special place to have them torch the bolt out. Had to have new aluminum added to the head and have the hole rethreaded, freaking nightmare. All that, plus replacing the gaskets... $1000. Now, with this being said, you just need to find a decent mechanic, end of story. With what you paid for what you got, you might as well had the dealership bend you over and welcome you to prison.

I found me a mechanic, been doing everything on my ride for the last 5 years, including the repair I mentioned above. Once you build that rapport and trust with someone, they are less likely to take you for a ride and are more likely to take care of your Hum like it was their own. Just my experience...

[Tully]

Originally Posted by snmazer

sometimes, not always, when I start up my 03, I get a loud hissing sound from under the hood. Sometimes it lasts a half a second, sometimes 10 seconds. Happens in spring, summer, fall,...but never in winter!
Does this sound similiar to what you experienced with the broken header bolts? I cant pin point what the problem is.

Scott

No, it sounds more like a flapping (or ticking) sound when I accelerate, although does stop after driving the vehicle for a bit...which led me to believe it was a belt or something? (which obviously i was wrong)

[Tully]

Thanks for all the replies. I am taking it to a local service station today to see what they think. I haven't been dissatisfied with the dealer up to this point, I'm used to them 'overpricing' and typically do my homework on the parts and service and then negotiate them down (which they've been flexible with - assuming the bad economy has helped my position)....new recent impression is that they are in even worse shape, this time around there was no wait to get an apointment and I walked into a newly renovated shop that looked like a ghost town.

I think things were more 'down to earth' when they were also a Hummer dealer, now that they are just Caddy again, I think their heads are in the clouds.

Thanks for the information, I'll assume it should be somewhere between a $500 and $1000 job and see what the guy tells me today. Those kind of numbers I can live with....