head gasket replacement

[polska]

A mechanic took a look at my head while doing some other work for me. He said it looked great. However, since he took it apart, he should be putting a new head gasket on there. Am I correct?
How much is a head gasket compromised after reassembling the head?

[witeshark]

You are right; so much as looking at the bits under the cylinder head means a new gasket is a must. After all, going that far would make using the existing gasket idiotic.

[polska]

I appreciated the extra work he was doing, but I don't know how he'd expect a blown head gasket down the line to make me very happy. Would that have been likely?
Even without a lot of mechanical experience, it seems all boards suggest replacing gaskets removed for maintenance.

[german-speed-demon]

hands down, any time the head comes off or it loosened, put a new head gasket on. some other gaskets, like valve cover, etc can be re-used if you have the correct gasket.