[ramaset]

Hi I have a 2006 330i. Car has 142,000 miles on it. It's leaking oil. 99% sure it's the valve cover gasket. I just put new brakes and rotors on the car. New air filters and Serpentine tensioner. My goal is to do the valve cover gasket, oil filter housing gasket, and spark plugs. I've read a ton of forums and I have all the tools and parts. I've watched all the YouTube videos I can find. I'm located in the SW burbs of Chicago and I was seeing if there a was a forum member that would help me with this. I know a shop will charge an arm and a leg. If any members are interested please PM me with a price. Thank you.

[feuer]

Arm and leg? What shops you have been talking to? Plenty would do it for $300 with parts. Tops.

[ramaset]

Ok that's really cheap. The forums I've read quote close to $1,000 for just the valve cover gasket labor. I would still prefer to do this work myself and with another member who is knowledgable just so I can learn and be better with the car.

[mojobmw_e90]

I'm sure me and feuer can tackle this 😉

[ramaset]

Ok well if you are interested in assisting me please let me know.

[ramaset]

Also this is the magnesium valve cover with the aluminum bolts. Should I switch to a plastic valve cover? From what I understand I have to use aluminum bolts still because if I use steel bolts it may react with the block. Any help/assistance/advice would be much appreciated. Again I would like to pay a forum member to assist me in installing a new valve cover gasket, new oil filter housing gasket, and new spark plugs.

[ptpending]

gasket replacement won't help you you need to replace head cover with integrated breather or replace membrane in breather using aftermarket parts

[feuer]

Let see if I got this correctly. You don't have the adequate knowledge/experience to do it yourself. Want somebody else to do it and allow you to help. I assume you want a discounted rate because you will be helping. Yes? Usually the opposite happens as school isn't free. No disrespect, I don't know you but you either need to be friend friend with someone to go about it this way or chances are highly unlikely that this will happen. Rates are already low that leaves little incentive for someone to let you basically stand on their way. It will take longer. You will slow them down. Preventing them to get another job done possibly.

[GoRomeo]

Originally Posted by feuer

Let see if I got this correctly. You don't have the adequate knowledge/experience to do it yourself. Want somebody else to do it and allow you to help. I assume you want a discounted rate because you will be helping. Yes? Usually the opposite happens as school isn't free. No disrespect, I don't know you but you either need to be friend friend with someone to go about it this way or chances are highly unlikely that this will happen. Rates are already low that leaves little incentive for someone to let you basically stand on their way. It will take longer. You will slow them down. Preventing them to get another job done possibly.

haha true

[ramaset]

I have the tools, parts, and enough knowledge to do the job on my own. I would just prefer not to. No basically I would pay someone to watch me while I do it. Yeah it might take longer but getting paid $150 to shoot the shit, give me pointers, and drink a few beers on a Saturday afternoon doesn't sound too shabby. I don't want to drop the car off and pick the car up. The point is to learn and experience. So if in the future I have to do this again I can tackle it by myself without any apprehension.

[max_330i]

I guess I see both sides, but the N52 VCG is a tremendously annoying job. I spent hours fumbling around with plastic clips to get all the wires out of the way (injectors side plastic was especially brittle) and then even more time sanding out the imperfections and grime in my valve cover to put the new gasket in.

It's good to want to learn, but you're asking for help with a dirty and not particularly fun job. Save this one for the indy if you don't want to rip the engine bay apart yourself.

[Needbmwpartzz]

Hey man if I was in the Chicago area I would have helped you.
Somebody's do this guy a solid for fack sakes

[feuer]

Alright. I will be doing a lot of work on my own car including VCG. Also some work on 535xi and maybe 135i too. At VT in Edgebrook. Either this or next weekend. If this works let me know. I will talk to the shop.

[mojobmw_e90]

Originally Posted by feuer

Alright. I will be doing a lot of work on my own car including VCG. Also some work on 535xi and maybe 135i too. At VT in Edgebrook. Either this or next weekend. If this works let me know. I will talk to the shop.

Broken ass bmws

[feuer]

Originally Posted by mojobmw_e90

Broken ass bmws

Yeah, you should join us. At least for the beer.