2013 X5 Valve cover replacement.

[twolabs]

Getting ready to change vale cover gasket and want to know what else I should be doing and if I should get OEM parts. It has about 50K miles on it. Best place for getting parts also.
Thanks

[StradaRedlands]

Originally Posted by twolabs

Getting ready to change vale cover gasket and want to know what else I should be doing and if I should get OEM parts. It has about 50K miles on it. Best place for getting parts also.
Thanks

FCP euro is pretty much the go to for online Bimmer parts. Obviously BMW genuine part is the best, but I tend to like Elring has a good OEM option. If just doing the gasket and not the whole valve cover, maybe get genuine.

As for process, just watch a bunch of videos from different people... They all have a little bit different perspective and cumulatively provide a lot of good information. Just look up N55 valve cover replacement, rather than focus on the X5 platform. That's presuming you have the n55.

[twolabs]

I could get Genuine gasket and other part and OEM valve cover. How often do they crack?

[wcs531]

(Ooops just realized you were talking about the Valve cover itself cracking not the gasket - I was talking about just the gaskets below no clue on the cover)

Assuming this a 35i / n55 id say the valve cover gasket gets cooked between 80-120k miles. 35d / m57 should be around the same, maybe a bit longer because it operates at a lower temp.

If it is an N55 and youre also doing the oil filter housing gasket search for the proper procedures because there have been multiple reports of catastrophic engine failure immedately after doing OFHG.

As much as I prefer buying OEM for most stuff, I buy Genuine BMW for gaskets where the part cost is a fraction of the labor cost. I feel like I remember with the N54 they updated one of the the gasket designs at least once and some of the oem stuff didnt get updated as quickly.

[StradaRedlands]

Originally Posted by twolabs

I could get Genuine gasket and other part and OEM valve cover. How often do they crack?

Some people are of the opinion to just replace it as if it hasn't failed, it will. Others just do the gasket as that is the only problem. I lean towards replacing the whole thing as the CCV is part of it and that'll fail sooner rather than later.