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      12-10-2018, 11:19 AM   #1
Wishes47
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At BMW now, trying to charge me $1800 for a valve cover gasket

Hello All,

Brought my car in for the PCV Valve Heater & Blower Motor Wiring recall. I told them that I have been having with the car randomly shutting off when I slow down to stop. Not gonna give the whole history of that problem, because I've already done a post about that. But the bottom line is they said that I need a new valve cover gasket, which I already knew, and also another venos solenoid, which is what's causing it to shut off. Total cost for all is $3300, not to mention the ridiculous $175 diagnostic fee!

Before I rant about BMW's criminal prices, I am just curious if anyone has ever had any success in getting BMW to cover the valve cover gasket repair, with the understanding that the PCV issue can cause problems in this area? I've seen a lot of information online saying that a failing PCV will cause issues with the valve cover gasket, misfires and several other symptoms that I am having. I've also read discussions on here with conflicting opinions as to it is or is not related. As such, I do not feel comfortable making a fuss, unless I know that someone else was successful in arguing that their valve cover issues are related to the PCV.....or can give me enough expert advice to support an argument. Anyone?

As for BMW's thievery, my dad's mechanic replaced one of my vanos solenoids a few months ago for $120 and it literally took him less than 20 minutes once we got the part....I watched. While I know the bulk of that was labor, it wasn't $1500. I just called him about the valve cover gasket and he said he can do that for $260. Needless to say, I can't get to his shop fast enough. How BMW can charge the prices that they do is beyond logic.
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      12-10-2018, 11:51 AM   #2
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Find a good independent shop. A dealer is the last place I would take my car unless it was under warranty.
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      12-10-2018, 12:02 PM   #3
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That price it sounds like they want to change out the VANOS gears, at approx $1k each.
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      12-10-2018, 12:09 PM   #4
Wishes47
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Yeah, I never go to the dealer and wouldn't have brought it here this time if it weren't for the PCV recall and the fact that I thought that the recall caused problems with valve cover gasket and hopes they would fix it at no cost to me.
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      12-10-2018, 12:10 PM   #5
Wishes47
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It must be for the gears. That would make more sense. Although, he did not say the gears. That's the only way it would make sense.
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      12-10-2018, 12:54 PM   #6
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I got a $2k quote for valve cover gaskets at the dealer. It's not easily accessible so most of the cost is labor. The intake manifold needs to come off, all the coil packs, the air box etc.

You can find a independent shop with a lower hourly rate but it'll still quite a bit of labor to replace it.

If someone can do V8 M3 valve cover gaskets for $260 labor... run, don't walk. They don't know what they're getting into. That's at least a good 4-5 hours of labor to disassemble and reassemble everything. It's not a Honda valve cover gasket which I can do in 30 minutes in my sleep.
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      12-10-2018, 01:04 PM   #7
Wishes47
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Thanks, but I believe my dad's mechanic is just giving me a good deal, because he told me that it's a 4 hour job and the quoted price is with a discount on labor price. The last time he worked on my mom's car, he only charged $40 labor, so that may be the same for me. Didn't think to ask. They've been using him for about 5 years now and never any complaints about his work.
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      12-10-2018, 01:07 PM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Wishes47 View Post
Thanks, but I believe my dad's mechanic is just giving me a good deal, because he told me that it's a 4 hour job and the quoted price is with a discount on labor price. The last time he worked on my mom's car, he only charged $40 labor, so that may be the same for me. Didn't think to ask. They've been using him for about 5 years now and never any complaints about his work.
I'd definitely take up that deal then.

No mechanic would work for $50 an hour around here. Cheapest is usually $100 with dealers charging double that.

My valve cover gasket is just weeping. It's not very bad so I've been pushing it back because it's a big expense for not much gain.
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      12-10-2018, 08:25 PM   #9
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I just replaced mine and its not that bad on the M3. I actually found it easier compared it to my prior e90 328 and was faster.

Im sure a indie whom does euro cars would charge 400-700 for this kind of job. It took me 3.5 hours and im sure the pros can do it faster.

Also unless your losing oil, don't let the weep bother you, its more of a nuisance and eyesore.
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      12-11-2018, 05:24 AM   #10
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Diy it and then scrape the flaky paint off the inside of the cover and maybe have the outsides powder coated.
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      12-11-2018, 06:54 AM   #11
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I did both my valve cover gaskets recently, replaced spark plugs tubes and replaced all cover screws as recommended. I believe I spent $80 on the tubes, about $180 on the new screws, and under $100 on the gaskets. There are couple of nice DIY for this job on YouTube. Not a hard project but yes it was time consuming. There are a couple "hard to reach" screws in the back but not impossible to get to. It was a good time to replace spark plugs as well! It's doable if you are comfortable with your ability. Good luck, if not just be on the safe side and pay an experienced mechanic to do the job!
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      12-11-2018, 07:20 AM   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by sibhusz06 View Post
I just replaced mine and its not that bad on the M3. I actually found it easier compared it to my prior e90 328 and was faster.

Im sure a indie whom does euro cars would charge 400-700 for this kind of job. It took me 3.5 hours and im sure the pros can do it faster.

Also unless your losing oil, don't let the weep bother you, its more of a nuisance and eyesore.
Did you use OEM gaskets or aftermarket?
Are there replacement gaskets with improved materials or is it doomed to fail same as original gasket??
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      12-11-2018, 10:38 AM   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by petem View Post
I did both my head cover gaskets recently, replaced spark plugs tubes and replaced all cover screws as recommended.
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Like Petem, I did this and it was pretty easy, but I'm also used to the engine bay of a Z32 TT. I used the ÜRO Parts for the gaskets and spark plug tubes plus the NGK 4471 plugs.
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      12-11-2018, 10:45 AM   #14
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Z K View Post
I got a $2k quote for valve cover gaskets at the dealer. It's not easily accessible so most of the cost is labor. The intake manifold needs to come off, all the coil packs, the air box etc.

You can find a independent shop with a lower hourly rate but it'll still quite a bit of labor to replace it.

If someone can do V8 M3 valve cover gaskets for $260 labor... run, don't walk. They don't know what they're getting into. That's at least a good 4-5 hours of labor to disassemble and reassemble everything. It's not a Honda valve cover gasket which I can do in 30 minutes in my sleep.
You sound like the type of guy to take his car in for low tire pressure, lol. It's really not even that hard to remove everything and you'd be on crack to think it takes 4-5 hours to change those out. More like 2.
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      12-11-2018, 11:32 AM   #15
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Quote:
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You sound like the type of guy to take his car in for low tire pressure, lol. It's really not even that hard to remove everything and you'd be on crack to think it takes 4-5 hours to change those out. More like 2.
Nope, I DIY everything, all fluid changes, replaced own throttle body actuators, I do brake jobs on the M3 3-4 times a year because of track days... I'd mount and balance my own tires if I had the machines - I did it at my friend's shop back in the day.

I did have the dealer do stuff for me because it was under the new car warranty but I refuse to pay the dealer a penny otherwise. I've owned the car for 10 years so it's not under warranty now.

I'm just quoting labor rates and hours for those that are interested in paying someone to do it. I can understand that not everyone DIY things as much as I do.
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      12-11-2018, 11:40 AM   #16
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Z K View Post
Nope, I DIY everything, all fluid changes, replaced own throttle body actuators, I do brake jobs on the M3 3-4 times a year because of track days... I'd mount and balance my own tires if I had the machines - I did it at my friend's shop back in the day.

I did have the dealer do stuff for me because it was under the new car warranty but I refuse to pay the dealer a penny otherwise. I've owned the car for 10 years so it's not under warranty now.

I'm just quoting labor rates and hours for those that are interested in paying someone to do it.
Good stuff! It boggles my mind some of the estimates they give for work. I try to avoid the stealership at all costs. In some cases, I've noticed work that was done incorrectly or things that were overlooked.
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      12-11-2018, 11:46 AM   #17
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Op, fcp euro sells a vc gasket kit with the spark plug tubes for about 180, it sometimes goes on sale for 160. I dont think anyone other than BMW makes the VC gasket. You want to replace the tubes too as the magnesium coating crumbles in those spots as well.

Deansbimmer posted a while back that the coating breaks off which can lead to minor leaks, therefore you have to use wire wheel brush using a dremel in between the gasket grooves upon the valve cover to truly get it clean and ready for a new gasket.

I spent nearly an hour just cleaning both covers as i was super picky given my coating was crumbling.
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      12-11-2018, 11:48 AM   #18
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Quote:
Originally Posted by IanMan View Post
Good stuff! It boggles my mind some of the estimates they give for work. I try to avoid the stealership at all costs. In some cases, I've noticed work that was done incorrectly or things that were overlooked.
That is true. Even doing things myself, I end up messing things up. I recently stripped the oil pan drain bolt because I tightened it too much (aluminum pan + steel bolt = bad news). Drilled it out and put in a time sert. That's with me being careful.. I can see a shop totally messing it up.
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      12-11-2018, 11:52 AM   #19
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I'm a moron and I did this in under 4 hours. Even at extortionate shop rates that's under $1k parts and labor. Book time on this must be insane, or they are. It's not all BMW driving this, the shop gets to decide what they want to charge, and there are a lot of fools with money driving around in BMW's
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      12-16-2018, 12:01 AM   #20
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Damn, I got quoted $3.1k to do the valve cover gaskets and spark plugs by an indy.

They also just recently charged me $340 for an oil change (including filter change).

Time to find a new place?
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      12-16-2018, 05:23 AM   #21
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Some areas of the country have double the labor rate of other areas, but to me those prices are a ripoff.
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      12-16-2018, 07:58 AM   #22
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Paid around 800 bucks for both gaskets/spark plugs/oil separators at the dealership. Surprised by the labor cost in the States.
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