That experience makes you wonder who and why they resorted to silicone sealant. Was the surfaces so damaged that a new gasket would not work properly? Or was the fellow to cheap to get new gaskets?
I suspect the garage concerned could not be bothered to order new gaskets so just bodged it. To be fair the "repair" lasted 4 years (albeit two of those were with the car out of commission with a broken chassis) and around 3000 miles before the leak onto the down pipes started to get very smelly. The mating surfaces are in good condition and my straight edge, with an LED torch behind it, did not show up any dips or distortion. The last owner was even more of a perfectionist with his cars than I am and would have been very cross if he had known about the bodge.
Wilson
