so fresh and so clean clean!

[delirium330]

All of the other OCDers out there will also take pleasure in how clean the new valve covers are vs. the old flaky/nasty ones!

[M3anest]

Yep love my 2013. So fresh so clean, clean!

[wfdeacon88]

Originally Posted by delirium330

All of the other OCDers out there will also take pleasure in how clean the new valve covers are vs. the old flaky/nasty ones!

Total cost of new valve covers + install... ~1.5K? asking bc it's an item on my list for the future...

[BayE30]

But for how long? My 40k mile 2011 covers look like crap already...

[spiderspider]

So shiny. So chrome.

[Helmsman]

Beautiful!

[Mvy]

Originally Posted by wfdeacon88

Total cost of new valve covers + install... ~1.5K? asking bc it's an item on my list for the future...

Assuming you are buying two new covers, thats your parts cost. Add a couple hundred labor depending on your location. Id say 1700 is average.

[ryguy0492]

jesus christ 1500 for two valve covers? Why are you guys changing them??

[delirium330]

Originally Posted by ryguy0492

jesus christ 1500 for two valve covers? Why are you guys changing them??

Cost is about $550-575 per valve cover and they come with gaskets, bolts and o-rings and new oil separators (i.e., all of stuff you would otherwise replace when doing the gaskets). So more like $1,100 in parts cost. (I also did my spark plug tubes).

Just new gaskets, bolts and oil separators will set you back $350 in parts.

Open up your oil fill cap and you'll see why many of us either replace our valve covers or choose to refinish the inside. The interior coating starts to flake off over time and if it is flaking bad enough it becomes really hard to get a good seal with the new valve cover gasket. So you spend $350 in parts and all the time or cost for labor and all is well, then they start leaking again. Not to mention that the interior coating will continue to get worse and continue to flake off into your engine oil.

I did look into powder coating the interior, but it wasn't worth it for me. The time (a week) and cost ($250) wasn't worth it vs. the additional ~$600 in parts cost for new covers. And you can't just do any old powder coating..I plan to keep the car forever so was a easy choice to invest in new covers.

Useful background if you are planning to tackle this: https://www.m3post.com/forums/showth...ht=valve+cover

[SAMM3Y]

Those are sexy! Yep I refinished mine and tbh even with a new oil cap they still weep around the fill. I think the seal on the oil cap isn't deep and soft enough to compress and seal the undulations of the rough finish of the covers. To anyone who goes the refinish route I suggest sanding down the neck for a nice smooth finish prior to coating so it doesn't weep or I guess the wrinkle finish could also cause it. Live and learn...

[Mpow-wow]

Why does the inside of the valve covers even need a coating? Seems kinda dumb to have a coating that will fail and fall into the valve train.

I understand the sealing issue, but that seams an easily solved problem.

[SAMM3Y]

Originally Posted by Mpow-wow

Why does the inside of the valve covers even need a coating? Seems kinda dumb to have a coating that will fail and fall into the valve train.

I understand the sealing issue, but that seams an easily solved problem.

They don't, they only need sealing around the gasket surfaces like this..

[Mpow-wow]

Originally Posted by samm3y

they don't, they only need sealing around the gasket surfaces like this..

👍🏻😎

[Scrippy]

I'm not sexy anymore at 179,XXX