I see that there are 3 different gasket manufacturers offered by Pelican parts. They are all priced about the same. Is there a one that is "better" than the others or are they all basically the same?
Victor Reinz is very good quality, and so are the other 2. They are OE replacement parts or if not, close or identical to OE standards. I would use anyone of these.
I must admit I had very good luck with Victor Reinz so far.
Thanks to the teaming up in this thread, we have a new reference addition to the bestlinks (namely which VCG brand to buy):
- How to replace the valve cover gasket (1) (2) (3) (4) (5) & which VCG brand to buy (1) (2)
I did, its true. I actually did search, but I must not have used the right combination of keywords.
I ended up going with OEM. Outside of having to figure out the part numbers, they ended up being roughly the same price as the higher end aftermarket and "kits"
11 12 0 034 105 Left
11 12 0 034 104 Right
11 12 1 437 395 seal - 8 per valve cover
11 12 1 721 879 seal - 3 per valve cover
For my 2002. Earlier cars use different parts (the gaskets at least, not sure about the bolt seals)
Based on my research and on the advice of bimmerteck, I discarded my like-new Victor Reinz gasket after about 15,000 miles and replaced it with a Genuine BMW one when I had to replace my valve cover.
So others benefit from every repair, I'll add to this thread:
- What BMW E39 parts & supplies are most often recommended to buy OEM from a dealer or sponsor (1)
And, cross reference to these:
- How to replace the E39 V8 valve cover gasket (1) (2) (3) (4) (540 pdf) (E38) (E38pdf) & VCG DIYs for the E39 I6 M54 (1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (2004 E46 video) (another E46 video) (yet another E46 video) & which VCG brand to buy (1) (2) & what VCG lubricants to use (1) & how to replace the timing chain tensioner and rail guide on the I6 (1) & on the M62 (1) & on the M62TU (1) (2) (3)
From my experience, installation errors (wrong torque sequence, stripped threads, sealant in wrong places...) cause much more problems than the brand of the gasket. I'm not saying that all gaskets are equal - but people often blame the gasket for mechanic's mistakes.
I got the i6 one from autozone, they said it made in Italy.whatever, the quality seems great.
It just a rubber, why bother with it so much. Just change it regularly better than any good brand....
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