How much does valve cover gasket replacement cost?

[NardoW12]

Have an oil leak in my car and looks like it's the valve cover gasket.

The X is a 2004 X5 3.0i with M54 3.0L I6 engine.


Obviously different places charge different amount for labor, but does anyone know what is a reasonable amount of labor hours that should be charged for this job?

[upallnight]

Originally Posted by NardoW12

Have an oil leak in my car and looks like it's the valve cover gasket.

The X is a 2004 X5 3.0i with M54 3.0L I6 engine.


Obviously different places charge different amount for labor, but does anyone know what is a reasonable amount of labor hours that should be charged for this job?

If you're handy with a wrench you should be able to DIY that in 2-4 hours. No special tools required, just a good set of sockets. There's a youtube video on replacing the valve cover gasket for the bmw inline 6 engines.

[NardoW12]

Originally Posted by upallnight

If you're handy with a wrench you should be able to DIY that in 2-4 hours. No special tools required, just a good set of sockets. There's a youtube video on replacing the valve cover gasket for the bmw inline 6 engines.

Thanks, gonna go look for the video and see what it's like, not sure if I have all the tools tho...

[Big "J"]

+1.. easy DIY!

[NardoW12]

Originally Posted by Big "J"

+1.. easy DIY!

Did you see the LCM 4 that was listed on eBay recently?

[pezho405]

Yeah the 3 liter is super easy like an hour job. But the 4.4 on the other hand....

[NardoW12]

Originally Posted by pezho405

Yeah the 3 liter is super easy like an hour job. But the 4.4 on the other hand....

Well if that's the case, then this is one of the very few times that I'm glad I have 3.0 instead of 4.4....

[jgold47]

I paid an hours labor.

But, you should do your vanos seals while you have the cover off and that's a 3-4 hour job if your a novice.

[pezho405]

Some tips on doing it.

Take of the assembly that holds the cabin filter its only held on by 2 13mm bolts.

VC cover held on by 10 MM bolts. you will reuse those, the kit will come with the new rubbers.

Careful not to lose the metal washers.

When you put the new VCG on the VC use some RTB around the edges of the half cirlce dips and such.

Tighten the bolts carefully it might crack the VC if not careful. Start with Center and go opposites. The bolts are designed to stop at bottom so as soon as it stops take another small turn and leave it.

[upallnight]

Here's a link to the Youtube video. It's for an E46, but the engine is the same as E53.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ugPUqjjKRz8