Oil pan or head gasket on a jetta?

I have a 2002 VW Jetta and i took it to the dealer yesterday the mechanics there said that i needed a new head gasket because my car was leaking oil. Now today I actually go to a local shop and they tell me after doing a compression test there is no way I need a head gasket I just need to replace the oil pan. Does this make any sense? I would think one thing is too far away from the other thing.


Help!Oil pan or head gasket on a jetta?
It is very possible the head gasket is leaking oil. These little over head cam engines do have pressurized oil going to the head. I have changed a few oil leaking head gaskets in my time. A compression test will not show anything connected to the oil system unless the gasket blows out into a cylinder. I've never seen such a thing but, I'm sure it has happened. Then the compression would be high in that cylinder and you'd have smoke and maybe a fouled plug. Whoever you get to do the job, either the head gasket, or the pan gasket, make sure they understand that you want the leak fixed the first time. Don't come back and say well, it needs the other gasket, too. Any half way competent mechanic can find the leak if they take the time. I would trust the dealer first. The local mechanic may not have looked good enough to see the actual source of the oil.Oil pan or head gasket on a jetta?
A lot of shops are ripping people off these days. My parents took their '99 Lumina to a shop and were told they needed well over $700 in repairs (including tranny fluid flushed/replaced + new filter, 2 new tires, etc). They are in a bad financial situation so they had my uncles and grandfather look it over. It needed none of that done. At most, it needed to be realigned in the front. The economy is bad right now so go with the cheaper option. If you continue having problems, then you can get the head gasket replaced but chances are you really don't need it.
go with the oil pan,however you probably only need a pan gasket