Elring or Mahle gaskets?

[Phenoxs]

So I recently purchased Victor Reinz gaskets both valve cover and oil pan and I was informed that this brand likes to leak after a short while. So now I’m in the market for those gaskets before I install them. Which gaskets are proven to hold up better?

[ross1]

Nothing wrong with what you have.

[Phenoxs]

Nothing wrong with what you have.

Then why is there such a bad stigma on Victor Reinz gaskets? Should I use gasket sealant on both gaskets to insure a better seal if I use the Vic Reinz gaskets?

[b2ke]

I feel like at the end of the day it's all opinions and everyone has different experiences.

Unless someone can provide information on the exact material used to make gaskets and why one is better than the other.

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[Jason5driver]

VR ( Victor Reinz ) gasket reliability has gone down, at least that is what my local tech has said.
He gets the OEM gasket ( Goetze ) .
https://www.eeuroparts.com/Parts/166148/Valve-Cover-Gasket-Set-2429076000/

IMO, you can't go wrong with either Elring and / or Mahle .

[Phenoxs]

So I’ll be fine with the VR gaskets? Just hating hearing bad experiences from other ppl which is making me double guess on them :/

or adding sealant to help extend the life on the new VR gaskets?

[StephenVA]

Add sealant to the curves and end "D" cups located on the back side of the head. You need to ignore a lot of internet trash talk as everyone who has a gripe will post. The hundreds who are happy do not post. Victor has been making gaskets longer than most of the posters have been alive. I personally have used most of the brands out there. Victor works, OE works, and so do all the other brands you mentioned. Do any of them last longer? Never have seen any engineering study to back up one time posters comments. Are there poorly made seals out there on the open market using known brands names on the packages? Yep!

A lot of bad experiences are just that one time bad experiences. By the third time most DIY's are doing the job, they finally do it right and all is well. Meanwhile everyone blames the tools and parts. Normal human reaction.

Example: I worked on a 4.6is X5 valve cover/cam cover seals this summer and it took three tries to get everything PERFECT on the left side. Seal issues - NO, user issues. Then I figured out that the oil line seals were also leaking on the remote oil lines, spraying oil under load to the front corner of the cam cover. Now that job was fun!

Bottom Line: Take your time, inspect twice, torque from the inside out, clean all surfaces before installing, don't crush the vac line to the Air Pump nor the wiring harness, replace the plugs with NGK Iridium fine wire ones, make sure you reinstall the coil packs with NEW short coil/plug boots, and you make sure the ground straps are reconnected correctly to each coil. Don't drop the coil nuts down the engine bay (Use paper towels to block) Good luck!

Helpful?

[b2ke]

Well said, Stephen.

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[Phenoxs]

Add sealant to the curves and end "D" cups located on the back side of the head. You need to ignore a lot of internet trash talk as everyone who has a gripe will post. The hundreds who are happy do not post. Victor has been making gaskets longer than most of the posters have been alive. I personally have used most of the brands out there. Victor works, OE works, and so do all the other brands you mentioned. Do any of them last longer? Never have seen any engineering study to back up one time posters comments. Are there poorly made seals out there on the open market using known brands names on the packages? Yep!

A lot of bad experiences are just that one time bad experiences. By the third time most DIY's are doing the job, they finally do it right and all is well. Meanwhile everyone blames the tools and parts. Normal human reaction.

Example: I worked on a 4.6is X5 valve cover/cam cover seals this summer and it took three tries to get everything PERFECT on the left side. Seal issues - NO, user issues. Then I figured out that the oil line seals were also leaking on the remote oil lines, spraying oil under load to the front corner of the cam cover. Now that job was fun!

Bottom Line: Take your time, inspect twice, torque from the inside out, clean all surfaces before installing, don't crush the vac line to the Air Pump nor the wiring harness, replace the plugs with NGK Iridium fine wire ones, make sure you reinstall the coil packs with NEW short coil/plug boots, and you make sure the ground straps are reconnected correctly to each coil. Don't drop the coil nuts down the engine bay (Use paper towels to block) Good luck!

Helpful?


Thanks for the info! This reinsurance’s me I didn’t just throw money away by buying those VR gaskets, and also thanks for the pointers! Very helpful ����

[StephenVA]

Thanks, I try not to get on the soap box too often as we all have our own preferences on parts and processes. One day I will find the spreadsheet that shows the factories producing parts and how they are packaged under multiple names. Having worked as a factory rep for many years and having been involved in that process gives you insight into how world wide sourcing works. Example: We built 99% of all carb kits in the USA, they were sold under hundreds of names including all the OE car/truck vendors names. We did the same thing with engine management parts, brake, fuel delivery, suspension parts, drive train, etc. We made everyone's coils, MAP sensors, plug wires, etc. Clutches, injectors, fuel pumps, etc. Did we make every parts number? NO. We sourced some based on cost and packaging from other vendors and resold them through the OE sources and aftermarket lines.
The company was a conglomerate that did $14.7 Billion annually in parts and engineering world wide. Then they sold the engine management side to our biggest competitor (I saw the hand writing and left the industry to play with the IT world. MUCH better pay!) I miss all the free/discounted parts that I could order up with a phone call. Example: Plug wire sets at $6.32 my cost, any application! Carb kits: $3.46 any application. and on and on.....
Sorry way too much info.....

Glad to help any time.

[cnn]

VR is hit-or-miss, QC (Quality Control) is all over the place.

Mahle is the King, always perfect.

[Chedley]

Not to confuse you any more, but I had a bad experience with ElRing valve cover gaskets , they leaked within 5000 miles.
I had excellent experience with FelPro gaskets: they lasted 70 K miles, and still counting...

[Bmwe39528i1998]

I just replaced the oil pan gasket. Mahle and Felpro were both made in China, and that is what discouraged me from using their gaskets. Although I didn't hear anything bad about them, I decided to use bmw genuine gasket.

Now for the valve cover gasket I will be using Mahle because the box says it's made in Germany.

Victor Reinz, I just heard too many bad things. I wouldn't care to use it on V8 but I wouldn't take a chance on I6, just to big of a job to do it twice.

Here are some tips on application, although I broke the rules and used a small line of black permatex rtv on both sides of the metal part of the oil pan gasket. Can't imagine it doing anything bad.

https://www.permatex.com/ten-common-gasketing-mistakes/

[ross1]

Then why is there such a bad stigma on Victor Reinz gaskets? Should I use gasket sealant on both gaskets to insure a better seal if I use the Vic Reinz gaskets?

No credentials needed to run one's mouth on the internet so lots of bitching about stuff that fails because of user error.
There are also those who believe that to properly repair these cars you must use parts either with a roundel on them or at the very least are from(or labeled so) the fatherland, which is absolute hogwash.
This can (and will) be debated until the sun burns out along with oil and oil filters.
Just use a known brand and install the parts correctly.
Not everything German is superior, contrary to what they may think and not everything Chinese is junk.
I've been screwing together cars and engines for a long time and have never had a gasket fail for any other reason than I screwed up.