Magnesium valve covers 101

[AV8R4AA]

On my new-to-me 4.6is, I would like to have better looking valve covers.
Mine are gold and flaking badly. I have seen a lot of guys get good looking
powder coat jobs completed.

My question is do all M62 valve covers have same part number?
Does 4.4 fit 4.6?

I would like to buy a set of valve covers and have them powder coated and ready for swap out.
That way I don't have 2-3 weeks waiting for gaskets, powder coat excuses, etc.

[smokeyyank]

Yes they are the same. Alternatively (because powder coating is expensive) you could also buy engine paint and DIY your current ones.

[dannyzabolotny]

Yep, they're the same, but make sure you get the valve covers from either an X5 or a BMW Range Rover, because those have an extra hole in the driver side valve cover for a breather hose. The E38 and E39 M62tu's don't have that hole in the valve cover.

Powder coating is the only durable method to paint these valve covers long term, since the high temperatures and magnesium don't make for a long-lasting paint job otherwise. In order to achieve a long-lasting finish, these valve covers should be sandblasted to remove the old finish, degreased, and then baked in an oven to get all the embedded oil out. I have a local powder coating shop that did my valve covers for $80 total. My shop takes less than a week but all shops are different, I suppose.

This is what my X5's valve covers look like:





Not too shabby for 213k mile valve covers, eh?

[StephenVA]

Originally Posted by dannyzabolotny

This is what my X5's valve covers look like:





Not too shabby for 213k mile valve covers, eh?

[AV8R4AA]

Can anyone state how long the factory finish holds up?
Thinking just buy a complete new set from FCP and when they start
chipping and flaking, get a replacement set.

[X53Jay4.8is]

Originally Posted by AV8R4AA

Can anyone state how long the factory finish holds up?
Thinking just buy a complete new set from FCP and when they start
chipping and flaking, get a replacement set.

Greg just get the valve covers properly powdercoated and they will outlast the originals. By the way new ones from BMW are ridiculous in terms of pricing. if you don't want to wait for them to be powdercoated just purchase a set of used ones off of Ebay and send them out. They are not that expensive

[AV8R4AA]

Anyone here on the forum have a set to sell?

[X53Jay4.8is]

Originally Posted by AV8R4AA

Anyone here on the forum have a set to sell?

Plenty to pick from on Ebay. Just have to buy the left and right separately to make a set.

[g300d]

I did a rush job on mine when I had my valve cover gaskets done.

Did a thorough scrub with dish soap and a scouring pad to get all the old flaking finish off, air dried it, then painted it with VHT header paint.

It has held up surprisingly well so far!

It's not as tough as the old finish or powdercoat though. It got dinged a bit from install and minor impacts. But it looks like it wont be flaking off from heat.

Next chance I have I will powdercoat probably.

[X53Jay4.8is]

Originally Posted by g300d

I did a rush job on mine when I had my valve cover gaskets done.

Did a thorough scrub with dish soap and a scouring pad to get all the old flaking finish off, air dried it, then painted it with VHT header paint.

It has held up surprisingly well so far!

It's not as tough as the old finish or powdercoat though. It got dinged a bit from install and minor impacts. But it looks like it wont be flaking off from heat.

Next chance I have I will powdercoat probably.

The key here with these valve covers is that they must be outgassed to provide a good surface for adherence for either powder coating or painting in order to provide a durable lasting finish.