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Jesus... that is NOT acceptable. I'm usually forgiving towards some shops who don't find certain things the first time, since often it is very hard to do so given customers' budgets and time constraints (which are often voiced when the car is brought in for service).
In this case, however, there is obviously SOME problem that is causing your car to dump everything under the sun.
You--or they--need to ascertain the precise cause of the overheating.
That means asking some of the following questions:
DOES THE ENGINE FAN COME ON WHEN THE CAR IDLES, before the temp gauge goes past halfway? This is the first thing to look at.
Did they replace the thermostat with a new one?
Is the heater control valve functioning? Leaking?
Is there coolant in the cabin? Signs of leakage, wet floor, foggy windows?
Are ALL the hoses new?
Does the cooling system manifest excessive pressure or bubbles in the overflow container?
Is the Check Engine light illuminated (and does the light work properly)?
Is your wife watching the temp gauge to see where and how this is happening?
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The first things to look at, if they have already NOT been done, would be the thermostat, engine fan and relay system, and water pump. The thermostat and water pump should be replaced (given the symptoms) regardless--unless they are brand new. This is given the huge amount of money you've put into the problem already. A pump and thermostat are tiny compared with the rest of it.
The head resurfacing certainly didn't hurt a thing, and after a few overheats it very well might have helped you out. If the car overheated very badly at any point (to the point of stopping) you might have a cracked head or something like that. But that's not a very hard thing to ascertain, as you would likely see compression gas in either the crankcase or the cooling system.
Also, is the PCV system even remotely clean? Very important.
The 700/900 FAQ has enough information to keep you reading for hours. And it'll probably highlight more potential problem areas than I have. Any way you look at it, you should stop dumping money at replacement and get it diagnosed properly. Even if it means going to a different shop where they'll take the time to do the diagnostic work (and that sometimes means leaving it for a few days before they even know what's up, so the techs can drive it around and maybe even drive it home to duplicate actual driving conditions).
See where THAT gets you and then post back with the results. You should be able to have a problem like this resolved faster than all those dealer visits.
--
1992 940 wagon, very low miles
as well as others.
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