VANOS Rebuild Cost

[28firefighter]

Hi Folks,

Can someone from the PNW give me a sense for what I should expect for cost to get my VANOS rebuilt? It is really the last thing I have on my list in terms of preventative maintenance and I don't have the skills/tools/experience to do it myself (though I'd love to learn). I'd probably have the VCG and VANOS Oil Line done at the same time, because why not?

Or alternatively, is anyone up this way interested in doing it on the side and teaching me along the way?

[ZHPizza]

It's really not bad, just time consuming. It's one of those projects that seems overwhelming at first so it's a big confidence boost when you complete it. Take a look at the detailed instructions from Besian Systems and try to walk through it one step at a time. If you break it down that way, then it really becomes as simple as loosening a bolt. You can loosen a bolt, right? Cool, on to the next step: tighten a bolt.

[Galapolis]

This 50sKid video really helped me when I did my VANOS.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0eUVF6OLFFg

[jtamayo027]

I say try it yourself. I did my first VCG replacement this year following the 50sKid's video. The man is a legend. It was not has hard as I thought it would be.

If you are in the OKC area I wouldn't mind helping out. https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20200630/0fe396de99d78f839eb75bcfc9c88313.jpg

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[Vas]

You can also buy a dr.vanos complete assembly and install that.

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[UdubBadger]

You can also buy a dr.vanos complete assembly and install that.

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Yep and mine was FREE. Lol [emoji2359]


If you do this check the solenoids for sandblasting grit to make sure they move.


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[28firefighter]

All valid points, but I literally have zero experience, so I'm not sure it is something I want to attempt on my first go around. I know paying to have the car worked on is not popular, but it is likely the path that I will go. Thanks, all!

[Vas]

All valid points, but I literally have zero experience, so I'm not sure it is something I want to attempt on my first go around. I know paying to have the car worked on is not popular, but it is likely the path that I will go. Thanks, all!

Makes sense. But if you are curious, Dr.Vanos does have a great pdf document for this job. Link below

https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0002/9048/8385/files/dual.pdf?13267887989536423812

[BMWM3186]

Id guess $1-1.5k from a shop that charges 100-150 per hour. I only rebuilt mine because it was rattling. My original seals weren't terrible so I didn't notice much difference aside from the rattle being gone. I would definitely wait to do it until you feel comfortable doing it yourself. A bad vanos isn't going to blow up your engine so I don't consider it a preventative maintenance priority especially for the money a shop will charge.

It was the first job I did on my car and wasn't bad due to the great documentation and instruction by beisan but I did have some prior mechanical experience. I would look for local bmw facebook groups that could help you out if you cant find anyone here.

[28firefighter]

That’s really helpful. I’m going to try my hand at the vanos oil line myself and see how I feel doing that. Someone locally has offered to do it with me and teach me for a couple hundred in labor (including the VCG) so I may do that.

[johnrando]

That’s really helpful. I’m going to try my hand at the vanos oil line myself and see how I feel doing that. Someone locally has offered to do it with me and teach me for a couple hundred in labor (including the VCG) so I may do that.Might as well. It's not hard, just a LOT of steps. If you do it with someone who has (which is how I did mine), you'll be just fine).

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[t.er]

Youtube & forum DIY guides are a great resource. 50skids videos are excellent step-by-step and you can watch it on your phone as you work on your car. If you're not confident in working on your car start off with small jobs first, then work your way up. Following a good guide to a tee, along with making sure you're doing your due diligence with your handiwork (making sure you aren't crossthreading bolts, not over-torquing, not breaking plastic clips, etc) will result in the satisfaction of having done the job yourself, and money saved.

The only thing you can't really deal with yourself is rust, which would mainly be rusted exhaust bolts. You can possibly get it out with a small propane torch and penetrating oil, but for really severe cases you'd have to turn to a shop with an oxy-acetylene torch to get them off for you.

[28firefighter]

So, for sports fans at home, I started on the VANOS oil line - new one is coming today so I figured I’d get the old part out and clean everything up.

Getting the lower banjo bolt off was a pain, but removing some of sensor plugs opened it enough to get a ratchet in. The upper end was messy, but the lower bolt was something else - way worse than any video I’ve watched.

Upon further investigation it appears that someone has been here before. Why? Because the lower banjo bolt had three total crush washers installed - one by the block and two by the bolt head. My understanding is there are supposed to be two per bolt. Anyway. Mess cleaned up - hopefully installation goes a little faster.

Also, if no one cares, let me know. This is a big deal for me for attempting it so I figured I’d share.

[jtamayo027]

So, for sports fans at home, I started on the VANOS oil line - new one is coming today so I figured I’d get the old part out and clean everything up.

Getting the lower banjo bolt off was a pain, but removing some of sensor plugs opened it enough to get a ratchet in. The upper end was messy, but the lower bolt was something else - way worse than any video I’ve watched.

Upon further investigation it appears that someone has been here before. Why? Because the lower banjo bolt had three total crush washers installed - one by the block and two by the bolt head. My understanding is there are supposed to be two per bolt. Anyway. Mess cleaned up - hopefully installation goes a little faster.

Also, if no one cares, let me know. This is a big deal for me for attempting it so I figured I’d share.Glad you decided to get under the hood!

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[fredo]

I care. I'm not a DIY person, perhaps this info will motivate me.

[28firefighter]

Well, it’s in and no immediate leaking is obvious at either end. Unfortunately I dropped one of the power steering reservoir bracket bolts and given that I can’t see it, I’m assuming it’s in the splash guard at the bottom or somewhere else out of the way.

I need to order a new one with washer since I can’t find one locally. But other than that no issues.

[t.er]

Good job! Hopefully you have more confidence with future DIYs. I had the same thing too, actually had both washers on one side, and none on the other. Not sure how it didn't leak!

https://i.imgur.com/R5PpHKel.jpg

If it's just the bracket bolt which isn't really anything critical you can probably head to your local hardware store and get a generic replacement. Just take one of the other bolts with the same thread and length for reference, it should be a standard metric thread like M6 or M8.

[johnrando]

Good job. This site is full of people who care/are interested.

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[Will]

Thanks for sharing, I love reading about people's DIYs - that's the main reason I browse the boards! There's plenty of knowledge and experience on this forum for any input or guidance you might need.

If you have a thin magnetic pickup tool you might be able to fish around and catch that dropped bolt.