Aftermarket Valve Cover Gaskets

[cjt671]

Any brand you V6 guys have had good or bad experiences with? Wife's car is gonna need em. I use genuine audi ones on my B5, but I'm not sure about the quality difference of the aftermarket B6 ones..

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[Furly]

Audi doesn't make their own parts.
They have other companies make them, with the audi VW logo stamped on, and then charge you 4x the cost or more.

That said, elring and Victor reinz make the OEM gaskets for audi. So either of the two will be fine.

[jesse500]

I use Felpro for everything. ZERO issues, top notch items. 1/2 VW/Audi price also

[cschuster]

Yep. Used all of the above at some point or another.

[cjt671]

Audi doesn't make their own parts.
They have other companies make them, with the audi VW logo stamped on, and then charge you 4x the cost or more.

That said, elring and Victor reinz make the OEM gaskets for audi. So either of the two will be fine.

Yes, I understand this, I was curious about the quality of the aftermarket supplier parts, I've noticed/heard of some differences between genuine and oem suppliers for certain parts before.. but looks like you fellas haven't had issues with the aftermarket and oem suppliers gaskets. Thanks for the replies

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[coffeysm]

I bought some Victor Reinz for my Infiniti and Audi, I haven't installed them yet. However, the quality looks extremely well and I don't see an issue with them.

[SJorge3442]

FWIW, I used Victor Reinz on my 3.0 last time and the drivers side bank has just started to develop a leak near the oil cap on the inner portion of the cover. I torqued down the bolts a bit more so we'll see if this fixes it. It's also important to note that I had a PCV issue recently with a clogged valve. This could have lead to increased pressure, causing this cover to leak.

[Hugh@EuropaParts]

Audi doesn't make their own parts.
They have other companies make them, with the audi VW logo stamped on, and then charge you 4x the cost or more.

That said, elring and Victor reinz make the OEM gaskets for audi. So either of the two will be fine.

this...

[AgentAqua]

I was just about to ask this question, good info knowing that I can buy these aftermarket.

[imnuts]

FWIW, I used Victor Reinz on my 3.0 last time and the drivers side bank has just started to develop a leak near the oil cap on the inner portion of the cover. I torqued down the bolts a bit more so we'll see if this fixes it. It's also important to note that I had a PCV issue recently with a clogged valve. This could have lead to increased pressure, causing this cover to leak.

I'm not saying this is the case for you, but over-tightening can have the same effect as a failed gasket or under-tightened component. Over-tightening can just squeeze whatever gasket is there out of place, also causing a leak. We have a few items at work that have fairly low torque specs that seem way too low, but we found out that it was set that way to get a proper seal of components. Once we started checking the torque during re-assembly, leak problems after our repairs went way down.

[old guy]

As long as you purchase a valve cover gasket with torque limiting inserts you don't have to worry about over/under tightening. The gasket should have metal inserts for each bolt hole. Once you tighten all the way down to the insert the gasket is properly compressed. Additional torque on the nut will not compress the gasket any further. If you keep tightening you will eventually strip the nut but you won't over tighten the gasket.

If you purchase a VCG without the inserts just throw it away and get a proper gasket.

[cjt671]

As long as you purchase a valve cover gasket with torque limiting inserts you don't have to worry about over/under tightening. The gasket should have metal inserts for each bolt hole. Once you tighten all the way down to the insert the gasket is properly compressed. Additional torque on the nut will not compress the gasket any further. If you keep tightening you will eventually strip the nut but you won't over tighten the gasket.

If you purchase a VCG without the inserts just throw it away and get a proper gasket.

Im guessing these are found on genuine/oem gaskets usually vs a local auto parts store gasket?

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[old guy]

Im guessing these are found on genuine/oem gaskets usually vs a local auto parts store gasket?

Not necessarily. Several years ago I picked up a VCG from AutoZone that had the inserts. They couldn't find a listing for my '03 B6 so I asked for a VCG for an '03 1.8T Passat. Worked fine.

[john_gonzo]

As long as you purchase a valve cover gasket with torque limiting inserts you don't have to worry about over/under tightening. The gasket should have metal inserts for each bolt hole. Once you tighten all the way down to the insert the gasket is properly compressed. Additional torque on the nut will not compress the gasket any further. If you keep tightening you will eventually strip the nut but you won't over tighten the gasket.

If you purchase a VCG without the inserts just throw it away and get a proper gasket.

FWIW, the 3.0 VC gaskets have no inserts. The limiting feature is built into a collar on the bolts.



Audi PN: 06B103831J