[Ehodg66]

I had my valve cover gasket and cover replaced by a reputable company in jan 21 on my 2014 335i Msport. I recently had another issue and went to a different mechanic (20 + years working on bmw's) He told me i had to replace my valve cover gasket. I had been smelling oil and my oil level has dropped quite a bit and I don't doubt what he is telling me.
My question: doesn't this seem like a short period to have my gasket replaced again? I know my "warranty" on the prior replacement has run out and not sure if they would honor or cut me a beak on another replacement.

thoughts?

[Billfitz]

Who knows what they might do. Improper installation would be the most likely cause. You can try re-torquing the bolts.

[Oksamit78]

Originally Posted by Ehodg66

I had my valve cover gasket and cover replaced by a reputable company in jan 21 on my 2014 335i Msport. I recently had another issue and went to a different mechanic (20 + years working on bmw's) He told me i had to replace my valve cover gasket. I had been smelling oil and my oil level has dropped quite a bit and I don't doubt what he is telling me.
My question: doesn't this seem like a short period to have my gasket replaced again? I know my "warranty" on the prior replacement has run out and not sure if they would honor or cut me a beak on another replacement.

thoughts?

Well, coming from experience of valve cover gaskets on N55... - The replacement of the gasket will not solve the issue of the oil smell, because most of the times the valve cover has to be replaced together with the gasket. The plastic covers on N55s warp and that is what causing the oil leak. Usually the warp is at the areas next to the turbo side where the highest heat radiation takes place. I've had this happen on 2013 N55 F10 already at 80K kms. My wife's 2015 F30 is a ticking time bomb in this regard and I know that it is coming shortly, if not this year.

In short: it is the valve cover that needs replacement and it is a very common problem on N55s.

https://www.fcpeuro.com/products/bmw...er-11127570292

[Ehodg66]

Thanks billfitz

oksamiit 78,
Thanks for the reply but in the first sentence of my comment it says "valve cover gasket and cover" The shop insisted at the time. Seems to me , 3 years and 30 k miles seems a bit short for a new gasket and cover to last.

[Oksamit78]

Originally Posted by Ehodg66

Thanks billfitz

oksamiit 78,
Thanks for the reply but in the first sentence of my comment it says "valve cover gasket and cover" The shop insisted at the time. Seems to me , 3 years and 30 k miles seems a bit short for a new gasket and cover to last.

I must be going blind. - Misread your first sentence.

Well... hard to tell the reasons for the oil leak over the internet. I'd try to get the engine inspected to identify the area of the leakage first.

If the smell is strong enough to be felt inside the cabin, then the leak is somewhere around turbo and exhaust piping as oil is spilling on to the hot surfaces and is burning. This was the exact symptom on my dad's N55 F10 - oil smell inside the car. No dripping or other signs on outside and under the car.

I see that you live in Florida and it is a hot climate area and if you do get stuck in stop-and-go traffic daily or in summer, than 3 years and 30K miles is not that small of the time/mileage in hot climate as the temps under hood soar in such conditions. The plastic cover won't last long this way. We have a similar problem with E65 750i in summer - the aluminum hood is hot and is uncomfortable to the touch after driving in stop-and-go Toronto traffic for an hour.

Keep us posted if inspection finds anything obvious.

[Ehodg66]

Lol, again, per my original post “ I recently had another issue and went to a different mechanic (20 + years working on bmw's) He told me i had to replace my valve cover gasket. “

I appreciate the help though. My wife works from home and the car isn’t driven that much. It was originally a california car and I don’t think the cover and gasket had been replaced by the PO, but who knows. Consider the cost of $1300 (and that was 3 years ago) I just found it odd that it would need to replaced again. Hopefully some good news when I contact the shop that did the replacement, a.k.a. Some kind of break on another replacement. Thanks again

[Billfitz]

Not totally OT, if I ever have to replace my valve cover it will be with a well reviewed aluminum unit. I'm not sold on plastic for parts that you want to shed heat.

[Oksamit78]

Originally Posted by Billfitz

Not totally OT, if I ever have to replace my valve cover it will be with a well reviewed aluminum unit. I'm not sold on plastic for parts that you want to shed heat.

Same here. Have started researching this already myself.

[Ehodg66]

Please post your findings on an aluminum valve cover

[Oksamit78]

Originally Posted by Ehodg66

Please post your findings on an aluminum valve cover

As a start:
https://www.turnermotorsport.com/p-2...x-f87-n55-30l/

[Burnout]

I found nothing but bad reviews for manufacturing flaws, instant codes, etc with the aluminum aftermarket VC’s.

OP - do you know what brand of VC was installed 3 years ago?

[Oksamit78]

Originally Posted by Burnout

I found nothing but bad reviews for manufacturing flaws, instant codes, etc with the aluminum aftermarket VC’s.

It would really help if you actually listed the names of the 3d party manufacturers from the bad reviews you have seen/read. This would help people to know what to avoid or pay attention to.

[Burnout]

Originally Posted by Oksamit78

It would really help if you actually listed the names of the 3d party manufacturers from the bad reviews you have seen/read. This would help people to know what to avoid or pay attention to.

Yeah sorry I checked my Maintenance doc and I didn’t save links to that info when I was making a decision.

[Burnout]

K using Google-Fu, here are a few sources I recall that I looked at:

In comparable price range to plastic ones:

https://www.amazon.ca/MITZONE-Perfor.../dp/B0C557T5LC

Check out the reviews.

Also there are previous threads in this forum where people weigh the pros and cons, this one was helpful

https://f30.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh....php?t=1979962


There are reputable companies like VVT that make aluminum ones, but the VVT one for example is $1,500. I didn’t research at this price point.

[Oksamit78]

Originally Posted by Burnout

K using Google-Fu, here are a few sources I recall that I looked at:

In comparable price range to plastic ones:

https://www.amazon.ca/MITZONE-Perfor.../dp/B0C557T5LC

Check out the reviews.

Also there are previous threads in this forum where people weigh the pros and cons, this one was helpful

https://f30.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh....php?t=1979962


There are reputable companies like VVT that make aluminum ones, but the VVT one for example is $1,500. I didn’t research at this price point.

Thanks for referrals, I've actually read that specific Amazon review and the thread you are listing here. I was hoping you had some other links that actually discuss the performance of the cover after the install. I did find a guy on YouTube showing the cover installed on his 435, but he didn't say a word of where it was purchased from or if he had issues with install.

As for amazon review - the guy went into a lot of detail about his frustration about lack of M6 bolting hardware and hose fit-up issue. Both, to me are dismal, imho. I do understand the frustration from someone expecting plug/n/play out of the box. Personally, I am used to metric hardware and actually stock a lot of it anyway. Same goes for the hose fit-up... once it didn't fit, he should have measured the connection to find out why it was not working instead of attempting to force plastic connector over aluminum nipple and eventually breaking the connector and not the nipple - lucky...

Again, I'm more interested to hear about valve covers after install and their performance in terms of leakages, longevity and etc, as I am used to aluminum/metal valve covers and am really disappointed in BMW's choice of materials for such critical component.

[Burnout]

I’m in the same boat as you, I try to find that feedback on how a product performs well after install, it’s seems much harder to find that info than installation reviews.

[sspade]

Interesting how depending on the thread:

A) Aftermarket aluminum is the better choice over plastic OEM (heat dissipation, longevity, etc.)
B) All aftermarket aluminum valve covers leak, best to go with an OEM replacement


Can someone chime in with real world experience? Not just parot-ing what you read someone type from their moms basement.