DO NOT USE Victor Reinz (aftermarket) valve cover gaskets - they LEAK!
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DO NOT USE Victor Reinz (aftermarket) valve cover gaskets - they LEAK!
I don't post here much, if at all...
Let me start by introducing myself. My name is Wil, I'm a Bosch and ASE certified technician from Houston, Texas. I've been working on cars for most of my life (just like every other wrench), but I've got 7 years of 'real' Mercedes/BMW/Porsche/Ferrari experience.
Anyways, having said that, over the last five or six months, I've noticed a repeating trend with Victor Reinz valve cover gaskets - they leak. Pretty much every single later-model Mercedes has issues with the valve cover gaskets leaking (or the valve cover plugs, in the case of 272 engines) anyways, so it's an almost daily occurrence that VC gaskets are getting replaced in my shop. Starting around October or November, I noticed that we were getting a good deal of comebacks for oil leaks when we'd replaced valve cover gaskets ('a good deal' means ANY. ONE comeback a month is too many). I warrantied them out no problem, but I still had to eat the labor. More recently I've had those same cars that have already had one set of Victor Reinz start showing back up with the same oil leaks AGAIN.
I ordered a few VC gaskets from the dealer, and upon initial inspection they look pretty damned similar - the Victor Reinz feels like a little bit softer rubber, and has some powdery residue on it in the packaging - BUT the Victor Reinz gaskets are, on average, between one and two millimeters shorter (from where they sit flush against the surface of the cylinder head to the highest point where the gasket sits in the groove on the valve cover) than the OEM gasket.
Because the valve covers have 'tangs' on the corners that actually make contact with the cylinder heads, there is a limited amount of 'squish' that the valve cover can induce on the gasket, so this tiny difference in the height of the gasket CAN and WILL cause issues, whether it be immediately apparent or not.
I have spoken with several other technicians, both at dealerships and independent shops, and this is a trend that is starting to come up all over the country.
Just thought I'd make this bit of info available to the internet community, in order to save some people the trouble - whether you're a DIY'er that's trying to save a few bucks over OEM, or you're a shop customer that thinks your technician is trying to rip you off for a few extra dollars by recommending OEM parts rather than aftermarket - it's only a few dollars difference, and it'll save you a LOT of hassle the first time.
Moderators, I'm not entirely familiar with the forum, so if this post is out-of-line or needed to be approved by you first, I apologize.
-Wil Kitchens
Houston, TX
Bosch and ASE certified MB/BMW/Porsche/Ferrari tech
CMRA Expert #265
http://www.idbracing.com
Let me start by introducing myself. My name is Wil, I'm a Bosch and ASE certified technician from Houston, Texas. I've been working on cars for most of my life (just like every other wrench), but I've got 7 years of 'real' Mercedes/BMW/Porsche/Ferrari experience.
Anyways, having said that, over the last five or six months, I've noticed a repeating trend with Victor Reinz valve cover gaskets - they leak. Pretty much every single later-model Mercedes has issues with the valve cover gaskets leaking (or the valve cover plugs, in the case of 272 engines) anyways, so it's an almost daily occurrence that VC gaskets are getting replaced in my shop. Starting around October or November, I noticed that we were getting a good deal of comebacks for oil leaks when we'd replaced valve cover gaskets ('a good deal' means ANY. ONE comeback a month is too many). I warrantied them out no problem, but I still had to eat the labor. More recently I've had those same cars that have already had one set of Victor Reinz start showing back up with the same oil leaks AGAIN.
I ordered a few VC gaskets from the dealer, and upon initial inspection they look pretty damned similar - the Victor Reinz feels like a little bit softer rubber, and has some powdery residue on it in the packaging - BUT the Victor Reinz gaskets are, on average, between one and two millimeters shorter (from where they sit flush against the surface of the cylinder head to the highest point where the gasket sits in the groove on the valve cover) than the OEM gasket.
Because the valve covers have 'tangs' on the corners that actually make contact with the cylinder heads, there is a limited amount of 'squish' that the valve cover can induce on the gasket, so this tiny difference in the height of the gasket CAN and WILL cause issues, whether it be immediately apparent or not.
I have spoken with several other technicians, both at dealerships and independent shops, and this is a trend that is starting to come up all over the country.
Just thought I'd make this bit of info available to the internet community, in order to save some people the trouble - whether you're a DIY'er that's trying to save a few bucks over OEM, or you're a shop customer that thinks your technician is trying to rip you off for a few extra dollars by recommending OEM parts rather than aftermarket - it's only a few dollars difference, and it'll save you a LOT of hassle the first time.
Moderators, I'm not entirely familiar with the forum, so if this post is out-of-line or needed to be approved by you first, I apologize.
-Wil Kitchens
Houston, TX
Bosch and ASE certified MB/BMW/Porsche/Ferrari tech
CMRA Expert #265
http://www.idbracing.com
Last edited by civicious; Mar 1, 2012 at 09:54 AM.
Senior Member
Joined: Jul 2018
Posts: 310
Likes: 49
From: AZ
The one(s) they sent me for the M113K valve covers had to be trimmed for the right valve cover. There is like a tab or something that is supposed to slide over the half-moon shaped part that should hold the gasket in place when you flip it upside down, but it was molded almost all the way shut. Either that or I was hallucinating from a heatstroke. The left side was okay.
Last edited by paste; May 1, 2021 at 09:25 AM.
