Does anyone know how to remove the engine cover from the car? It is the "u" shaped piece. Additionally, has anyone painted theirs?

See the picture, it is the area in red.

 

its justa snap on part. Just lift it from the top left and right corners. The clip is metal so you have to be really forcfull to do any damage

also its 2 parts just incase u are confused the top half is the air box, the part wit the mb star is just a front enine cover (what you want to remove i guess)

 

Is the airbox complicated to remove or is it also snap on? I would like to get mine painted but would like to have it look complete like the picture.

 

its pretty simple to remove.
undo the torque screws from the top and then detach it from the y pipe

 

Is there any seals to be worried about? Also what do I need to retorque the bolts out when putting it back on?

 

A torque wrench might work.

If you need the torque spec ... you can just use the torque wrench to remove the bolts. Watch the number at which they break free. It's usually within 10% of the right number (Which would usually be lower)

If you can't get the spec ... that's usually a very safe bet.