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N52 aftermarket valve cover - VAICO, Elring etc.

2003 - 2009, roadster, coupe, facelift
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GTwice
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N52 aftermarket valve cover - VAICO, Elring etc.

Post by GTwice » Sat Jul 17, 2021 10:24 am

I need to change a cracked valve cover on my 3.0si. OEM one is of course pretty expensive, I was wondering if anybody has experience with brand aftermarket ones. All I seem to find is people hating on cheap chinese knockoffs, but no input on brands like Vaico, Febi, Elring - they should be decent, right?
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skelters
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N52 aftermarket valve cover - VAICO, Elring etc.

Post by skelters » Sat Jul 17, 2021 11:30 am

Try and find one that's being broken up.
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N52 aftermarket valve cover - VAICO, Elring etc.

Post by Pbondar » Sat Jul 17, 2021 3:44 pm

I’d be interested in any reports of ‘quality’ suppliers alternatives too..my cam cover has a broken part on it for the engine cover..

Seems like it’s only a matter of time before the original cracks/distorts anyway..

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patriot66
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N52 aftermarket valve cover - VAICO, Elring etc.

Post by patriot66 » Sat Jul 17, 2021 5:24 pm

Hi there GTwice. I've heard of Vaico components and believe they are of reasonable quality but haven't purchased or fitted any so couldn't vouch for them. However, I have used Elring gaskets previously and currently have many Febi Bilstein components on my Z4 and regard both brands very highly, particularly Febi Bilstein. Also, I believe some FB parts are covered by a 3 year guarantee :thumbsup:
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N52 aftermarket valve cover - VAICO, Elring etc.

Post by GTwice » Sun Jul 18, 2021 2:34 pm

patriot66 wrote: Sat Jul 17, 2021 5:24 pm Hi there GTwice. I've heard of Vaico components and believe they are of reasonable quality but haven't purchased or fitted any so couldn't vouch for them. However, I have used Elring gaskets previously and currently have many Febi Bilstein components on my Z4 and regard both brands very highly, particularly Febi Bilstein. Also, I believe some FB parts are covered by a 3 year guarantee :thumbsup:
Thanks patriot66, I'm very familiar with all those brands and I have used them on many DIY jobs and have always been happy. The reason I'm asking is because all I can find anywhere is that anything other than OEM valve cover is crap (even though OEM isn't much better), but it seems people only ever tried the cheap chinese ones - I could be wrong, but I remember a few years ago there was no alternative to cheap ebay stuff, did Febi, Elring and Vaico only release those parts recently?
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N52 aftermarket valve cover - VAICO, Elring etc.

Post by Scooba_Steve » Mon Jul 19, 2021 5:41 pm

GTwice wrote: Sun Jul 18, 2021 2:34 pm OEM valve cover is crap (even though OEM isn't much better)
Do you mean OE, i.e. BMW? OEM is often confused for OE as a term.
I think Elring is the OEM
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N52 aftermarket valve cover - VAICO, Elring etc.

Post by GTwice » Tue Sep 21, 2021 10:00 am

FYI I went with Elring, so far so good, definitely better quality than SKV Esen which I had before.
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N52 aftermarket valve cover - VAICO, Elring etc.

Post by rjhl64 » Tue Sep 21, 2021 11:18 am

I installed a ESEN SKV Rocker cover last year (6k miles covered) so far no issues to report (only time will tell)
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N52 aftermarket valve cover - VAICO, Elring etc.

Post by GTwice » Tue Sep 21, 2021 12:14 pm

rjhl64 wrote: Tue Sep 21, 2021 11:18 am I installed a ESEN SKV Rocker cover last year (6k miles covered) so far no issues to report (only time will tell)
Really? The one I got didn't even fit properly, one of the bolt holes didn't align with the head.
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N52 aftermarket valve cover - VAICO, Elring etc.

Post by rjhl64 » Tue Sep 21, 2021 1:22 pm

GTwice wrote: Tue Sep 21, 2021 12:14 pm
rjhl64 wrote: Tue Sep 21, 2021 11:18 am I installed a ESEN SKV Rocker cover last year (6k miles covered) so far no issues to report (only time will tell)
Really? The one I got didn't even fit properly, one of the bolt holes didn't align with the head.
the only issue i had was that the rocker cover came with all the gaskets and aluminium bolts, i ended up using febi gaskets (i purchased separately) , used the aluminium bolts provided with the rocker cover (So now sill have a brand new set of victor reinz bolts, maybe come in handy one day).
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