[BMWM3DREAM]

I have a 2015 528i. After only 43,300 miles, a dealership told me to replace the valve cover because I have a valve cover gasket leaking. So, of course, I took it to an independent mechanic and one of the technicians there told me it's not leaking that badly, and that I could possibly wait one or to years to replace the valve cover. Should I wait it out or should I immediately buy an OEM valve cover kit for $350 plus shipping or get an aftermarket valve cover kit that does not have as much plastic as the original kit?

Any advice would be very much appreciated.

[ctcarbonari]

FWIW,

I have a 15' 535i (N55 Engine). VC began leaking @ ~65k miles (I could occassionally smell it when stopped). Fast forward 2 years and I'm @ 85k miles now and the smell is consistant. I still don't lose any measurable amount of oil during a 5k mile change cycle. Ironically, my VC is finally being replaced tomorrow. The VC leak tends to slowly drain over to the right side of the engine and drip down onto the heat shield / exhaust manifold (hence the smell).

IMHO, a VC leak is not something that is critical and needs to be fixed immediately. ALL engines leak....eventually...and the VC leak tends to not harm any other components. Whereas an OFHG leak tends to get onto your accessory belt and should be fixed sooner rather than later.

So, my thoughts on your questions:

From a preventative maintenance perspective, it's never "too soon", but realistically, so long as you're not getting oil onto your belt and pulleys, you can keep riding for quite awhile before replacing the VC.

Stick with OEM, don't go aftermarket on this one. I was discussing this topic with my Indy this morning (I wanted to make sure they would be replacing the gasket flange & the crankcase breather hose) and I was a bit surprised to learn that for BMW VCs they stick with Genuine OE & use Elring gaskets.

FWIW, I've read plenty of positive fitment experiences with OEM Covers but apparently my Indy's experiences differ a bit and it's one of the few components they stick with Genuine vs OEM. (It also explains why my estimate was ~$200 higher than I thought it was going to be....lol....those Genuine BMW VCs are much more expensive than OEM). But like I said, there are PLENTY of success stories out there with people using OEM covers.

That's my 2-cents.

[Hoa]

Valve cover gasket leak at various miles depending on how you drive. If you do a lot of hwy, it will last longer. If you do a lot of city driving, it will fail earlier than expected. Average is about 60-80k miles. I had one replaced that leaked right away due to defect so there's that case of bad luck as well.

I personally would replace it if it starts to leak. You don't know when it will leak more and will create a bad odor for you to smell. It will also spread all over your transmission making you think you have a leaky rear main seal or lower oil pan gasket. It's best to take care of it so if you have something else that leak later, it is easy to identify.