VANOS seals and VCG

[Alobi]

Planning on doing VANOS seals this weekend :thumbup

Just ordered my VANOS repair kit from Beisan and I'm going to pick up the other parts and VCG kit from the dealer today.

Any tips before I get my hands dirty?

:cheers

[edlvrt]

I needed some short needle nose pliers to remove the plastic caps infront of the piston bolts. Are you doing the rattle kit as well? I didn't have and noise, but had play in the parts as shown on the Beisan website. Their repair kit took care of that.

The instructions are thorough. Take your time and everything will go fine. I must have spilled a bit of oil when removing the unit as I had a burnt oil smell for a few days. At first I was worried that I had made a mistake when installing the VCG, but everything is fine now.

Good luck!

[Alobi]

I needed some short needle nose pliers to remove the plastic caps infront of the piston bolts. Are you doing the rattle kit as well? I didn't have and noise, but had play in the parts as shown on the Beisan website. Their repair kit took care of that.

The instructions are thorough. Take your time and everything will go fine. I must have spilled a bit of oil when removing the unit as I had a burnt oil smell for a few days. At first I was worried that I had made a mistake when installing the VCG, but everything is fine now.

Good luck!

Good to know - do they need to be short for clearance issues? I have a short nose pliers that hopefully will do. Beisan says less than 5".

I'm not doing the rattle kit although I'm second guessing my decision now... I don't have any rattle now but I really wouldn't want to do the whole process all over again if noise appeared after installing the new seals.

Beisan's instructions look real DIY friendly so hopefully I won't have too much trouble. Thanks for the input :cheers

[danewilson77]

Odds are...if you don't have the rattle...you never will.

yes....shorty pliers are bomb for this.

[edlvrt]

Good to know - do they need to be short for clearance issues? I have a short nose pliers that hopefully will do. Beisan says less than 5".

Yeah, if they are too long, your radiator will be in the way of removing the clips. I just measured mine and they are right at 5".

[Alobi]

Thanks dane and edlvrt. Just checked prices of the other parts I need at my local stealership and they are literally double what Beisan suggests. Check this out (dealership in red)

1 x vanos gasket (11-36-1-433-817) $6.73/each - $14.93
2 x vanos oil hose/pipe washer (32-41-1-093-596) $0.25/each - $3.47
1 x valve cover gasket set (11-12-0-030-496) $34.26/each - $73.35
15 x valve cover bolt grommet (11-12-1-437-395) $1.73/each - $3.09
1 x oil fill neck gasket (11-12-7-526-447) $2.29/each - $12.09

What do you guys think? Are Beisan's prices outdated or can I get these parts cheaper somewhere else - maybe just a different dealership? I knew they charged a premium but damn...

[edlvrt]

Yeah, dealership charges a good bit more. I purchased my gaskets and grommets from Autohaus AZ for much less than that. However, they sent me the VANOS gasket in a single bag, and it was bent and kinked passed use. I called and complained, but be aware that if you order from them or someone online, call and ask how they protect that gasket. I had to pick on up at my local dealership and it came attached to a piece of cardboard for protection/rigidity. The dealership here lists that one at $19.90, but he charged me $6.86 as I had had been waiting for a few weeks on another order. The markup is sick. I much prefer to buy oem parts online.

[elric]

Alobi .... I might be able to help with the parts. Sent PM.

[Alobi]

Yeah, dealership charges a good bit more. I purchased my gaskets and grommets from Autohaus AZ for much less than that. However, they sent me the VANOS gasket in a single bag, and it was bent and kinked passed use. I called and complained, but be aware that if you order from them or someone online, call and ask how they protect that gasket. I had to pick on up at my local dealership and it came attached to a piece of cardboard for protection/rigidity. The dealership here lists that one at $19.90, but he charged me $6.86 as I had had been waiting for a few weeks on another order. The markup is sick. I much prefer to buy oem parts online.

Good look. Autohaus has great prices. I sent them an email asking to make sure they protect the gasket. Thanks for the help bud.


Alobi .... I might be able to help with the parts. Sent PM.

Thanks Jeff. Reply sent.

[cakM3]

Anthony,

Just remember to take your time and not rush anything when doing this....especially if it's your first time. I was very lucky when I did mine because I had Jeff, John ( you know who you are :) ), Kyle, and the rest of the "family" around to help me out when I did mine at SIGFest this year. Having so many people around willing to give me a hand was so reassuring. If you have any questions post here and you will find many willing to help you out...:thumbsup

[Alobi]

Anthony,

Just remember to take your time and not rush anything when doing this....especially if it's your first time. I was very lucky when I did mine because I had Jeff, John ( you know who you are :) ), Kyle, and the rest of the "family" around to help me out when I did mine at SIGFest this year. Having so many people around willing to give me a hand was so reassuring. If you have any questions post here and you will find many willing to help you out...:thumbsup

Thanks Charlie, will do :cheers

[cakM3]

I didn't see you sign up for SIGFest2013 yet....you should really go to this epic meet!!! You are closer than I am and I'll be attending again. It's so worth it and you can even save some maintenance to do while there....:thumbsup

[Alobi]

I didn't see you sign up for SIGFest2013 yet....you should really go to this epic meet!!! You are closer than I am and I'll be attending again. It's so worth it and you can even save some maintenance to do while there....:thumbsup

Sounds sick! I'll definitely look into it. Now the only question is what maintenance can I make myself save for the meetup :p

[zj96sc]

Thanks dane and edlvrt. Just checked prices of the other parts I need at my local stealership and they are literally double what Beisan suggests. Check this out (dealership in red)

1 x vanos gasket (11-36-1-433-817) $6.73/each - $14.93
2 x vanos oil hose/pipe washer (32-41-1-093-596) $0.25/each - $3.47
1 x valve cover gasket set (11-12-0-030-496) $34.26/each - $73.35
15 x valve cover bolt grommet (11-12-1-437-395) $1.73/each - $3.09
1 x oil fill neck gasket (11-12-7-526-447) $2.29/each - $12.09

What do you guys think? Are Beisan's prices outdated or can I get these parts cheaper somewhere else - maybe just a different dealership? I knew they charged a premium but damn...

For future reference, thebmwpartstore.com is my go-to. Mike's prices are tough to beat as far as dealership parts departments go, he's an extremely helpful dude and he'll typically ship free or for <$6. Autohausaz's prices are extremely competitive as well but their shipping prices are junk, so depending on how many things you're buying/total spend/etc the deal may switch from one to the other.

thebmwpartstore's prices on the above, as comparative data:

GASKET STEEL118523
Make: Bmw | Part#: 11361433817
Your Price: $4.78

GASKET RING329500
Make: Bmw | Part#: 32411093596
Your Price: $0.92

SET OF PROFILE GASKETS118522
Make: Bmw | Part#: 11120030496
Your Price: $35.93

RUBBER SEAL118524
Make: Bmw | Part#: 11121437395
Your Price: $0.78

GASKET RING119500
Make: Bmw | Part#: 11127526447
Your Price: $3.85