Just replaced my head gasket. Maybe this will help you fault diagnose...... my symptoms where:
- Loss of coolant with no leak (used dye and UV pen to check for leaks and non apparent)
- Pressure in expansion tank the following morning after being sat overnight
- Coolant level falling below minimum line in expansion tank when engine was warm then rising above line when cap removed (exhaust gasses getting into coolant system over pressuring hoses then pressure being released when cap is removed)
- No signs of mayo oil cap
- No smoke from the exhaust
I managed to change the head gasket myself for less than £200 but you'll need tooling and it took me three days. I think a garage will charge well in excess of £1,000 probably more than the value of the car.