328i HTC 57,000 Cam cover gasket repair

[tonywall]

Car runs great, but diagnozed with leaking cam cover gasket (very slight leak).
Dealer wants over $1,000 with 5-6 hours labor-(suggested it could lead to a fire because the catalytic converter is under it.)
Questions; Is this type of repair easy for an independent shop (BMW experienced).
Secondly; Is this common for this mileage and model?
Tony

[White94RX]

Just based on my experience alone, the 328i engines that have the plastic valve cover do not tend to leak very frequently at that mileage. What I have seen much more commonly is the valvetronic motor gasket leaking (which is on top of the valve cover, giving the impression the cover is leaking), and also the valve cover itself is leaking on top. The crank case vent system is built into the valve cover itself, and there are some cover type things (which are actually air passages for the crank case vapors) that I have seen leak. Only repair for that is a new valve cover.

Not saying for sure that one of these issues is your problem, but they have fooled me a few times thinking its only the valve cover gasket, when the oil was really coming from on top of the cover, and running over the side, giving the appearance of the VCG leaking.

But in regards to your other question, yes, 5-6 hours labor is normal for this job. It's a little bit of a pain. An experienced independant could do the job, assuming they've done it before and know how to get the cover off without breaking anything. The valve cover is a tight squeeze to fit between the firewall and the top of the eccentric shafts. It is very likely that an inexperienced tech will try and force it out, and break the covers off of the vent valves inside the cover, which is very easy to do. Trust me, I know. I have broken one or two before I started taking shortcuts to prevent it from happening.

[luckydawg003]

My 07 has 65k miles and has a leaking valve cover gasket. I cleaned it myself by removing all the plastic pieces just shy of removing the fuel rails. I noticed a lot of oil inside the spots that hold the spark plugs. So far it hasn't started smoking again.

[tonywall]

Very helpful, thanks.
Tony