E46 Valve Cover Gasket

If you own an E46 you know that eventually you’ll have replace your E46 valve cover gasket, if you haven’t already done it.

In this article I’ve put together a similar post to the genuine E46 valve cover article I first wrote on E46valvecover.com.

Topics you’ll find in this article:

OEM Part Numbers
Replacement Cost
Compatibility
Where to Buy
How-to Video

Repairpal.com says that valve cover replacements are common around 60,000 miles. Some of the symptoms will include oil drips under the vehicle and burning oil smell from the engine compartment.

If you want to see some of the most common problems on your E46 to watch out for besides a valve cover leak, or if you’re just contemplating buying one, here’s what to expect.

As long as you have all the tools and parts for this repair, it’s estimated not to take more than a couple of hours to do the complete VCG replacement.

It’s best practice if you’re doing an E46 valve cover replacement to just go ahead and do the gasket as well.

Note: It's not uncommon for these plastic covers to crack or warp with time.

Original Equipment Part Numbers

OEM number – 11 12 0 030 496

11 12 9 070 990 began production in 12/01/1997 until 09/01/2002 when BMW part # 11 12 0 030 496 began production and it hasn’t been superseded to this day.

OEM number 11 12 7 521 009, fits 3-series E46 engine code M56 (12/2001 — 05/2006), in most cases you’re not going to have this engine, unless your car was sold in one of these states due to emissions. (California, New York, Massachusetts, and Vermont)

E46 Valve Cover Gasket Replacement Cost

It really depends whether you’re buying an aftermarket brand, or the genuine BMW part. Doing it yourself over hiring a mechanic, can be another variable in your cost.

As far as your parts go, your cost will be between $22-58. Again, this is depending on whether you’re going aftermarket over OEM.

I ran an estimate on Repairpal.com for an E46 valve cover replacement and this was the result:

You can obviously save most of this, by just buying the parts yourself and doing it yourself if you have the skill set.

There are a ton of DIY videos out there and I’ll share some pretty good one’s with you that can hold your hand throughout the hole process. Plus, the forums come in handy if you run into any issues.

Compatibility

By BMW Chassis

E39, E46, E53, E60, E83, Z4

By BMW Engine

M54

By BMW Model – (11 12 0 030 496)

Where to Buy

BMW E46 Valve Cover Replacement Video

Forums

BMW E46 3-Series DIY: Valve Cover Gasket Replacement

The Famous Valve Cover gasket leak..My thought

Other Resources

E46 Valve Cover Gasket Torque Specs