[paco89]

Took my e90 (06 325xi) into the dealer yesterday because it has a small oil leak which drips on the downpipe and around the firewall and vaporizes the oil so it is easy to smell inside the car. Especially when driven hard at high RPMs.

Anyway, previous history:

1 year ago Dealer replaced:
- Valve cover gasket
- Mechatronic Sleeve Seal
- Oil pan gasket

I thought for sure the VCG had failed again...

Their diagnosis today:
- Bad Valvetronic seal.
> If this is the case, oil would have to accumulate enough on the valve cover to start dripping around the firewall/top of downpipe area. I see this somewhat unlikely.

- They claim the valve cover gasket is still good.
> If it was bad, they would have to replace it under their 2 year service guarantee for free. I am a little skeptical it is not the cause of my oil leak.

They are quoting me $360 to replace the Valvetronic Seal. (parts & labor).

I am a tech myself and can do the work.

Do you guys think the dealer would lie if the valve cover gasket was bad so they don't have to replace it for free?

Has anyone seen a leak by the firewall caused by the valvetronic seal?

Any thoughts will be appreciated!

Is it possible to converse with the technician at BMW and have them explain to you infront of the car their diagnosis? Any experience doing this anyone?

Thank you for reading!

[ctuna]

They should have done this seal at the same time they did the
VCG . Its part of the the VCG procedure to remove the valvetronic
motor this is pretty weasely.

Valvetronic motor is almost mid engine how does oil end
up on the firewall from that.
If you have your invoice look at the parts used list.
This is about a 10 dollar gasket at most you have to be careful to reinitialize the motor when it reinstalled see
video.

[PhaseP]

OP you have the metal valve cover, which I do too.
Because the engine sits slanted, Valvetronic seal oil leak potentially can end up at the side of the engine. But it has to first fill the two valleys around the spark plug well walls below the valvetronic motor. You can check visually for this if you remove the vanity cover on the engine.

But as already mentioned, they should have replaced that seal during valve cover gasket job, including the eccentric sensor gasket.

[paco89]

Originally Posted by ctuna

They should have done this seal at the same time they did the
VCG . Its part of the the VCG procedure to remove the valvetronic
motor this is pretty weasely.

Valvetronic motor is almost mid engine how does oil end
up on the firewall from that.
If you have your invoice look at the parts used list.
This is about a 10 dollar gasket at most you have to be careful to reinitialize the motor when it reinstalled see
video.

Thank you for your response. All good information, I have seen parts of that video. I will take a look at my old invoice and look for this gasket. Do you know for a fact that replacing the VVT seal is part of the VCG procedure?

I have seen where people take the valve cover off without taking the VVT motor out? I can also confirm this with them tomorrow. The wells on the valve cover are pretty full with oil. I always thought it was from oil that leaked while adding oil to the engine.

[paco89]

Originally Posted by PhaseP

OP you have the metal valve cover, which I do too.
Because the engine sits slanted, Valvetronic seal oil leak potentially can end up at the side of the engine. But it has to first fill the two valleys around the spark plug well walls below the valvetronic motor. You can check visually for this if you remove the vanity cover on the engine.

But as already mentioned, they should have replaced that seal during valve cover gasket job, including the eccentric sensor gasket.

Thanks for your response. Yes, the two oil galleys on the valve cover are full of oil. I always thought this was because when my car would lose oil i would add some and sometimes I would spill some. I thought that oil was from spilling. Makes sense if it is from the VVT.

Do you know for a fact that replacing the VVT seal is part of the procedure of replacing the VCG?

Thanks!

[paco89]

Originally Posted by ctuna

They should have done this seal at the same time they did the
VCG . Its part of the the VCG procedure to remove the valvetronic
motor this is pretty weasely.

Valvetronic motor is almost mid engine how does oil end
up on the firewall from that.
If you have your invoice look at the parts used list.
This is about a 10 dollar gasket at most you have to be careful to reinitialize the motor when it reinstalled see
video.

Just checked my old invoice and YES they did replace the VVT gasket 11377516302, technically they should cover this under their 2 year guarantee on their work... but they didn't mention this to me.

I will talk to them tomorrow and argue that this was included in the repair they did, they should cover that for free.

Thanks again!

[ctuna]

Good that you found the invoice.
Almost every DIY I have seen and that is a lot more than
one says you replace this every time . And they are included in a complete vcg kit from most of the online suppliers.
I don't see how oil could flow from that gasket to the top
of the motor either.

[Efthreeoh]

$360? It's a 1/2 hour of labor at best. And the part is I think $8. Tell them to satisfy their crack habit with someone else.