I have an '08 base model. With 285,000 km. I have no visible leaks with any fluids, and it only goes through about 3/4L of oil before I change it at 6000km. I drive approx 700-800 km/ week. Should I just replace the head gasket before it fails?? Or just hope it lasts another several hundred thousand km's?

 

Why do you think you need to replace your head gasket? With the number of miles you've racked up on your car, the use of 3/4 liter of oil between 6000 km oil changes seems very reasonable to me. If the engine is running smoothly and you aren't losing coolant in a leak into one of your cylinders, there doesn't seem to be a reason to replace a head gasket or even suspect a future head gasket failure.

With an engine that has over 285,000 km on it, the oil usage is probably due to internal engine wear. This could be from worn piston rings, wear between the pistons and cylinders or leaky valve guides- or a combination of all these worn parts in your engine.

I'd just continue driving the car while doing regular routine maintenance on it. When the time comes, look for a low mileage replacement engine and replace it. Don't dwell on what could happen. Good luck!

 

If your head gasket was shot, your coolant would probably mix with the oil, giving it a milky look.

Also, you might start your car with the radiator cap off; if you see bubbles, your head gasket might be shot. DON'T FORGET: NEVER OPEN THE RADIATOR CAP WHEN THE CAR IS HOT! It could splash and burn you badly!

 

I see no sense in replacing head gasket as preventive maintenance. There is no way knowing if it's going to leak next day or not even after twenty years. If there are no signs Frenzal mentioned in previous post or white smoke from warm engine, don't touch it.

 

If it ain't broke, don't fix it! Head gaskets aren't some kind of inevitable failure item (except on the Subaru EJ25 or the Ford 3.8L V6 :P) that needs to be addressed every X years/miles.

 

It very likely isn't your head gasket. If the oil isn't coming out white/chocolate colored and you aren't losing coolant it isn't a head gasket. More likely than not it's just worn rings or valve seals which is totally normal for that mileage. If you're really worried about it I would start by performing a consumption test - fill the oil to the top of the dipstick and drive it for 1k miles. Then refill the engine until it reads 'full' again and do the math to determine how much oil you're burning per 1k miles. FWIW anything over 1qt every ~2k is considered normal by Honda. But if you're still worried about it you would be better off performing a compression test and a leakdown test - that would help in pointing you in the right direction as to what's worn on the engine.