Advice on difficulty of DIY's

Ace_HollyWood · 02-13-2016, 03:05 PM

Ok guys, how hard is it to do the turbo inlets, valve cover gasket,and intake valve cleaning? I am trying to see what I can do myself versus the headache or if i should pay a local shop to do it. I've read the reviews and some say difficulty 4/5, just trying to gauge the general audience. Should i do certain ones together? Or separate?

What I have done myself;
Custom FMIC (buddy welded 3in piping for me)
Charge pipe
Downpipes
thermostat and water pump

Can i reasonable tackle these myself? Or is there one that's not worth the headache. I didn't mind any of the previous mods-DPs took me the longest.

Turbo_power4ever · 02-13-2016, 03:12 PM

i did my valve cover and it wasnt too bad. i cant say about the other two though as i havnt done em yet.

zeenon53 · 02-13-2016, 03:14 PM

None of it is hard if you have the right tools and take your time. It's dangerous if you fck up.

theweebabySeamus · 02-13-2016, 05:53 PM

Valve cover and intake valve cleaning aren't too bad. Inlets are more intensive, but I wouldn't call the valve cover or intake valve cleaning 4 out of 5. Lol

I'd say 5/10 for either of the jobs I've done.

007_e350 · 02-13-2016, 10:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ace_HollyWood

Ok guys, how hard is it to do the turbo inlets, valve cover gasket,and intake valve cleaning? I am trying to see what I can do myself versus the headache or if i should pay a local shop to do it. I've read the reviews and some say difficulty 4/5, just trying to gauge the general audience. Should i do certain ones together? Or separate?

What I have done myself;
Custom FMIC (buddy welded 3in piping for me)
Charge pipe
Downpipes
thermostat and water pump

Can i reasonable tackle these myself? Or is there one that's not worth the headache. I didn't mind any of the previous mods-DPs took me the longest.

I'vedone walnut blasting, it took me the whole day but I was v cautious and went at my own pace... valve cover Is more intense because you've to be careful with injector rails and harness etc, and i guess inlets are the hardest .. why don't u do hot side turbo to fmic mod, mmp has it for 230 bucks or something

Jklad · 02-13-2016, 10:45 PM

Intake valve is very straight forward, just need to take your time. I did this myself with the help of a buddy to pry off and install the new cover.

Inlets seems complicated - I wouldn't do this myself. FYI I have not done downpipes either.

I did a valve cleaning myself the first time scrubbing with gun brushes and chemicals. That sucked and took several hours. I would happily pay 350-450 to have somebody else do it with the walnut tool, which will also get them a bit more clean.

That's my 2 cents.

sirdaft1 · 02-14-2016, 02:30 PM

VCG isn't too tough BUT it becomes a major PITA if you don't get it on and seated properly. Check multiple times before buttoning everything back up. Last thing you want to do is put everything back together only to have it dump oil everywhere because it's not properly seated.

02-13-2016, 03:05 PM	#1
Ace_HollyWood Private First Class 8 Rep 122 Posts Drives: 2008 APW e92 335i Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: Cincinnati Ohio iTrader: (1)	Advice on difficulty of DIY's Ok guys, how hard is it to do the turbo inlets, valve cover gasket,and intake valve cleaning? I am trying to see what I can do myself versus the headache or if i should pay a local shop to do it. I've read the reviews and some say difficulty 4/5, just trying to gauge the general audience. Should i do certain ones together? Or separate? What I have done myself; Custom FMIC (buddy welded 3in piping for me) Charge pipe Downpipes thermostat and water pump Can i reasonable tackle these myself? Or is there one that's not worth the headache. I didn't mind any of the previous mods-DPs took me the longest.
	Appreciate 0 Tweet Quote

02-13-2016, 03:12 PM	#2
Turbo_power4ever Captain 95 Rep 607 Posts Drives: Fbo blacked e92 Join Date: Feb 2015 Location: Nky iTrader: (2)	i did my valve cover and it wasnt too bad. i cant say about the other two though as i havnt done em yet.
	Appreciate 0 Quote

02-13-2016, 03:14 PM	#3
zeenon53 Major 44 Rep 1,155 Posts Drives: BMW Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: obx iTrader: (3)	None of it is hard if you have the right tools and take your time. It's dangerous if you fck up. __________________ 2016 340i xdrive 2009 335i
	Appreciate 0 Quote

02-13-2016, 05:53 PM	#4
theweebabySeamus Major 435 Rep 1,018 Posts Drives: M3 Join Date: Jul 2014 Location: Bay Area iTrader: (1)	Valve cover and intake valve cleaning aren't too bad. Inlets are more intensive, but I wouldn't call the valve cover or intake valve cleaning 4 out of 5. Lol I'd say 5/10 for either of the jobs I've done.
	Appreciate 0 Quote

02-13-2016, 10:45 PM	#6
Jklad Lieutenant Colonel 422 Rep 1,643 Posts Drives: 2007 335i Coupe Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: Palatine, IL iTrader: (0)	Intake valve is very straight forward, just need to take your time. I did this myself with the help of a buddy to pry off and install the new cover. Inlets seems complicated - I wouldn't do this myself. FYI I have not done downpipes either. I did a valve cleaning myself the first time scrubbing with gun brushes and chemicals. That sucked and took several hours. I would happily pay 350-450 to have somebody else do it with the walnut tool, which will also get them a bit more clean. That's my 2 cents. __________________ 2007 E92 335i MT
	Appreciate 0 Quote

02-14-2016, 02:30 PM	#7
sirdaft1 Brigadier General 2246 Rep 3,353 Posts Drives: F85 X5M Join Date: Feb 2013 Location: Chicago West Burbs iTrader: (9) Garage List 2016 BMW X5M [9.00] 2012 BMW X5 35i (SOLD) [9.67] 1989 BMW 325i Track ... [10.00] 2007 E90 WTCC Wideb ... [8.50]	VCG isn't too tough BUT it becomes a major PITA if you don't get it on and seated properly. Check multiple times before buttoning everything back up. Last thing you want to do is put everything back together only to have it dump oil everywhere because it's not properly seated.
	Appreciate 0 Quote