[mike sevel]

My INDY gave me quotes to replace the E93 valve cover. Total installed cost of the OE version is $1010 and $820 for aftermarket. That's a $200 difference. Does anyone have any experience with an aftermarket cover and the results? Recommended brands?
Thanx,
Mikey
P.S. HAPPY, SAFE AND PROSPEROUS NEW YEAR TO Y'ALL

[John 070]

Sorry I thought you meant the gasket so I was thinking, $200 difference (when the OE is $56 lol).....

On this part, I think I would rather pay the $200 extra for OE. I would make an exception if you said OEM, where the cheaper part is identical to the OE, except it comes in different packaging and doesn't have a BMW logo.....

[gamesfrager]

I have no experience with this, but I wouldn't cheapout on things like this.

You can save on none critical items, but I would save myself the headache and possible future issues

It's like playing Russian Roulette, you don't want to play it, do you?

[TheMidnightNarwhal]

Well what is the aftermarket one? Brand?

[JeanCa]

I bought an aftermarket (ÜRO Parts) valve cover for my n55 in rockAuto for 239.70$ and my mechanic charged me 350$ for labor. I have had no problems with it.

Maybe you could find a quote for cheaper labor.

[nsjames]

I just put a uro one on my n52.
it looked fine, but is cracked.
could have been dmaged during shipping. I'm kind of bummed I have to do the job twice now.

FWIW, it didn't look bad and seemed quite comparable to OE. It was installed properly with a torque wrench. I'll update after it's warranty replacement gets here.
I really think it was a shipping problem. It's cracked vertically in a corner, which just smacks of "it got dropped"

[RayLivingston]

FWIW - I replaced the valve cover on my '07 335i a few months ago with a no-name EBay cover for $99 w/free shipping. Works perfectly. The only problem was the bolts they provided were wrong, so I just re-used the originals. Replacing the valve cover is a pretty trivial job - a couple hours of very easy work, no special tools required. The hardest part is getting the tiny little injector connectors off. Just remember to swap over the breather regulator and other removable parts.

Regards,
Ray L.

[N54Society]

I used a $130 ebay cover and it had the correct bolts and everything. I can't believe I paid like $300 at ECS when I did this last time on my previous 335i.

EDIT: $80 valve cover and gasket, lol. It looks as good as the ECS one I bought.

[335xirookie]

Any other maintenance parts that should be replaced while doing a VC job?

[nsjames]

Originally Posted by 335xirookie

Any other maintenance parts that should be replaced while doing a VC job?

ESS.

yes, it's expensive, but mine was failing internally @138K miles.
oil in the connector.
cold start issues.

You're there, and it will suck if you have to get at it again in another 10K miles.
chances are youre also going to break the PCV hose that goes from VC to IM.
I replaced mine with a 3/4 rubber line clamps the the remnants of the quick connect fittings.

[nsjames]

my replacement valve cover arrives today.

packaged properly.
I think rock auto shipped me a returned one or something the first time. It was bare and just floating in the great big shipping box.

The replacement had an inner box with the uro sticker on it. Obviously the previous one had been removed from this box for some reason.
here's hoping no more leaks after this weekend.

[N54Society]

Originally Posted by nsjames

my replacement valve cover arrives today.

packaged properly.
I think rock auto shipped me a returned one or something the first time. It was bare and just floating in the great big shipping box.

The replacement had an inner box with the uro sticker on it. Obviously the previous one had been removed from this box for some reason.
here's hoping no more leaks after this weekend.

It's a great feeling.

[nsjames]

well I shoved the new one onto it yesterday.

no leaks after 50 miles of driving, and some mild beating.

since I had the OEM one off and could compare, the Uro one looked identical inside and out.
It's stamped that it's 40% glass nylon. So material choice seems correct.

To be honest, other than the URO stamp on the top, I think you'd be hard pressed to tell it from the BMW part.
time will tell if it lasts as long, but I have high hopes that this thing was made in the same mold the BMW one was.

[nsjames]

a week later, still no signs of oil leaks.

it's cold and snowy outside, but next warm day I'll pull of the cover and make sure the valvetronic motor isn't leaking.

[bluewater328]

Originally Posted by nsjames

a week later, still no signs of oil leaks.

it's cold and snowy outside, but next warm day I'll pull of the cover and make sure the valvetronic motor isn't leaking.

Very cool to know that we are slowly becoming Ford pickups with parts soon from Napa 😂

But glad someone has started having positive experiences. I know it wasn't many compared to how many probably cheaper out and bought it, but the first generation of generics seemed to have some issues fitment and composition. Glad to see I'll have an option by the time I need another in 80k miles.

That said, I'll also be hoping FCPeuro's lifetime guarantee is still around as well, as that just costs me shipping.

[nsjames]

yeah, this complete valve cover was only $230(?) dollars at rock auto.
with a year warranty.

[CmdrSheppard20]

Hi new member here. Just wanna give a shout-out to everyone that's contributed to these forums, they've helped me many times and I've finally gotten around to creating a profile. Was hoping for an update on the Uro VC and how it has held up since.. plan was to replace VCG and the other gaskets but after reading about the plastic VC possibly breaking after removal I've about decided to go with the whole VC kit. Any feedback would be much appreciated but as far as OEM vs aftermarket I'd like to try the Uro. Thanks!

[RayLivingston]

How on earth do they justify over $1000 for replacing a valve cover?? It takes MAYBE 90 minutes. I did the one on my (now gone) 335i, using a brand X valve cover for $99 from EBay. Worked perfectly. That was the first time I'd worked on a 335i, and it still took me under two hours start to finish. A factory valve cover is ~$500 last I looked. $1000 is insane!

[Montegowagon]

I got mine from autozone. With a discount coupon that they run often the cost was about $300 for the valve cover and included new bolts and gasket. It’s a URO brand and installed fine and has not leaked in the 2 months since I replaced it.

[e90yyc]

Originally Posted by RayLivingston

How on earth do they justify over $1000 for replacing a valve cover?? It takes MAYBE 90 minutes. I did the one on my (now gone) 335i, using a brand X valve cover for $99 from EBay. Worked perfectly. That was the first time I'd worked on a 335i, and it still took me under two hours start to finish. A factory valve cover is ~$500 last I looked. $1000 is insane!

Is this job easier on an N54/55 than on an N52?

I’m just trying to reconcile your time estimate with the fact that I hear practically everyone who does this job on an N52 bitch and complain about how it was a such a pain in the ass. I’m about to do this myself and I like your assessment very much lol, but I’m curious if I’m not comparing apples to apples here.

Originally Posted by Montegowagon

I got mine from autozone. With a discount coupon that they run often the cost was about $300 for the valve cover and included new bolts and gasket. It’s a URO brand and installed fine and has not leaked in the 2 months since I replaced it.

To each his own for sure, but $300 is still a lot to pay. At that price I’d probably put up the extra money for a genuine VC from FCP and play the long game. Chances of me needing to replace it again are pretty high.

That said, I’ve heard good things about URO VCs and no sense in paying for a logo (BMW) you’re never gonna look at :-). So $300 is still substantially less than $500…

[RayLivingston]

>"Is this job easier on an N54/55 than on an N52?"

Is there that much difference? I know on the N52 you have to deal with the valvetronic motor, but on the N54 you have all the direct-inject fuel lines, and the awful little injector connectors. Seems to me like about the same difference. But, I've never done an N52. The N54 was not all that different from the M54, other than the things mentioned above.

[Welcome to NBA Jam]

Originally Posted by RayLivingston

>"Is this job easier on an N54/55 than on an N52?"

Is there that much difference? I know on the N52 you have to deal with the valvetronic motor, but on the N54 you have all the direct-inject fuel lines, and the awful little injector connectors. Seems to me like about the same difference. But, I've never done an N52. The N54 was not all that different from the M54, other than the things mentioned above.

They're all a pain in the ass in their own way. Getting the valve cover off and on is a huge hassle all around. The N52 was easier to get to the bolts but man was getting that cover back on a big hassle.