Vanos cost est

[Worcester_spoon]

Hi all

Thinking of getting the vanos seals done. Anyone on here done them recently and can give me a steer on costs.

Also, anything else worth doing ta the same time? I’m already planning on changing the trans fluid.

2004 3.0i with 55k on the clock.

 

[Chris_D]

Preventive measure or do you have a drop in power / flat spots under accelleration?
Expensive and uneccessary if a preventive measure I would suggest.
I'm on 150k with original vanos and no issues. M54B30

Gearbox oil if not changed def a good move as well as camcover gasket, oil filter housing gasket, and CDV removal.

 

[Worcester_spoon]

Just preventative, so that’s good to know. Might give it a miss, but see lots talking about it making a positive impact. No flat spots really though.

CDV done yonks ago

General gasket refresh makes sense. I’m basically looking for things to do!

 

[DMike]

Hi,
Instructions on Beisan site give a comprehensive list of the parts. Angled needle pliers, small torque wrench and a good selection of socket extensions, torx bits, nothing special. A sturdy 8 mm hex key to open the vanos covers - never found a hex bit that that would fit the tight space.

 

[alane29]

Vanos is a lot of work if its working, as said above if acceleration is good with no flat spots i wouldn't bother.
Gearbox and diff oil definitely worth doing i did mine at 90k and it was thick and black gears were much smoother after.

 

[patriot66]

I recently did a Vanos rebuild on my '03 2.5i Z4 with 80k miles. I bought and fitted the full rebuild kit with new seals and anti-rattle washers & bearings from X8R on Ebay.
The original Buna (nitrile) seals were very worn and had completely lost any 'rubber' like properties and had gone hard and brittle offering no sealing properties at all. The anti-rattle washers were in good condition but the needle roller bearings were way past their best also.
From my experience I would say that if you have a M54 engined Z4 built between '03 and '06 then your Vanos seals WILL be worn/brittle....you just don't know it. You have become accustomed to the way the car drives as it is. You will not realise so until you do a rebuild.
I reckon the full cost for my rebuild was probably getting on for £200 all together. This is without a doubt the single most transformative job I have done on my car and worth every single penny....I wish I had done it 5 years ago when I bought it !

 

[bigwinn]

Hiya

I’m planning this as a bank holiday project

I’m at 100k on 2.2 M54 and starting to notice a few flat spots (that’s an excuse to plan in a job like this) but am expecting to see the big performance changes others have talked about. I do have a slight oil leak from somewhere in the vicinity so hope that gets picked up in it too

I’ll keep you posted how it goes

Kit from X8R here and I got great advice from Patriot on here

 

[DMike]

I recently did a Vanos rebuild on my '03 2.5i Z4 with 80k miles. I bought and fitted the full rebuild kit with new seals and anti-rattle washers & bearings from X8R on Ebay.
The original Buna (nitrile) seals were very worn and had completely lost any 'rubber' like properties and had gone hard and brittle offering no sealing properties at all. The anti-rattle washers were in good condition but the needle roller bearings were way past their best also.
From my experience I would say that if you have a M54 engined Z4 built between '03 and '06 then your Vanos seals WILL be worn/brittle....you just don't know it. You have become accustomed to the way the car drives as it is. You will not realise so until you do a rebuild.
I reckon the full cost for my rebuild was probably getting on for £200 all together. This is without a doubt the single most transformative job I have done on my car and worth every single penny....I wish I had done it 5 years ago when I bought it !

I second that, good cost to benefit ratio and thanks to patriot66 for helping mee too. It took a couple of days before the new seals were embedded but now the improvement is obvious.

 

[kis]

Ross just did one, saw a FB post. Maybe worth enquiring what he charged?

 

[Sky-drive]

Ross just did one, saw a FB post. Maybe worth enquiring what he charged?

... Ross charged me £295.00 all in ... yes I could have bought the seals and then the tools and then spent all day scratching my head on how to get the VANOS out and then probably buggered it ... safer to leave it with a professional!

 

[Usel]

Ross just did one, saw a FB post. Maybe worth enquiring what he charged?

... Ross charged me £295.00 all in ... yes I could have bought the seals and then the tools and then spent all day scratching my head on how to get the VANOS out and then probably buggered it ... safer to leave it with a professional!

Is that price total or did you supply the kit and he fitted it?

 

[blunderthumbs]

What advantages can be gained by changing the gearbox oil ? I have a manual 6 speed done 75k 3.0L :roll:

 

[ScoobyR1]

Hi all

Thinking of getting the vanos seals done. Anyone on here done them recently and can give me a steer on costs.

Also, anything else worth doing ta the same time? I’m already planning on changing the trans fluid.

2004 3.0i with 55k on the clock.

I did mine back in 2017 when I could walk and from memory the X8R kit cost about £80, that wasn't the full kit as per patriot mentions, but the transformation was night and day. Where before the car felt a bit weak and hesitant lowdown there was now seemless fat healthy surge of power. Definetly worth doing. See here https://z4-forum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=94012&p=1383288#p1383288

 

[bowser134]

Ross just did one, saw a FB post. Maybe worth enquiring what he charged?

... Ross charged me £295.00 all in ... yes I could have bought the seals and then the tools and then spent all day scratching my head on how to get the VANOS out and then probably buggered it ... safer to leave it with a professional!

Is that price total or did you supply the kit and he fitted it?

£295 is all in with me supplying the kit, labour and VAT.

 

[bigwinn]

Hi all

Thinking of getting the vanos seals done. Anyone on here done them recently and can give me a steer on costs.

Also, anything else worth doing ta the same time? I’m already planning on changing the trans fluid.

2004 3.0i with 55k on the clock.

Stu

Did the vanos last weekend- I can tell you its a cracking job and makes a heck of a difference- wish I'd done it sooner

4 hours with a mate on the drive, no specialist tools apart from the 90 degree pliers needed

Let me know if you plan to do it as I'll happily share best practice

Stuart