Valve cover leak

[Jars914]

Bmw quoted me about 2800 to do the valve cover replacement. I bought the part myself for 560, bought a new set of spark plugs for 80 bucks, indy mechanic replaced cover and plugs for 400 bucks i gave him 500

[Trick_Speed_9941]

Keep in mind that the OP is talking about a 35d which is diesel. The valve cover is a lot different than any of the gassers.

If it helps someone, I just replaced the valve cover gasket on my 2016 X5 35d with the N57 diesel engine. A dealer/service quote of $2K-$3k is what I would expect having done this myself.

The valve cover not only serves as a sealed roof for your OH cams, but also serves as a bed for the injectors and the common fuel rail. Having that in mind, if you tackle this yourself, you will need to remove the fuel injectors, fuel common rail and associated electrical harness. Additionally, you will need to disconnect any connectors near or attached to the cover just so you can move the harnesses out of the way far enough to pull the valve cover.

I'm an aircraft mechanic of over 20 years and have several diesels, all of which I do most of my own maintenance. I'd consider this an expert level job. It was difficult even for an experienced mechanic. On top of that, you need to ensure all the fuel lines that you pull out and put back in remain completely dust free until the moment your ready to reconnect them.

The gasket was about $50 and it took me about 6 hours to complete.

[Berkant04031999]

I paid in Germany in BMW dealership 1000€

[chris323i]

Originally Posted by Trick_Speed_9941

Keep in mind that the OP is talking about a 35d which is diesel. The valve cover is a lot different than any of the gassers.

If it helps someone, I just replaced the valve cover gasket on my 2016 X5 35d with the N57 diesel engine. A dealer/service quote of $2K-$3k is what I would expect having done this myself.

The valve cover not only serves as a sealed roof for your OH cams, but also serves as a bed for the injectors and the common fuel rail. Having that in mind, if you tackle this yourself, you will need to remove the fuel injectors, fuel common rail and associated electrical harness. Additionally, you will need to disconnect any connectors near or attached to the cover just so you can move the harnesses out of the way far enough to pull the valve cover.

I'm an aircraft mechanic of over 20 years and have several diesels, all of which I do most of my own maintenance. I'd consider this an expert level job. It was difficult even for an experienced mechanic. On top of that, you need to ensure all the fuel lines that you pull out and put back in remain completely dust free until the moment your ready to reconnect them.

The gasket was about $50 and it took me about 6 hours to complete.

Good to know. I've done valve covers for the N52, N55, and S52. They get more complicated when they're covered and surrounded in wiring harnesses. How difficult were the injectors to pull? I need to tackle this job myself at some point.