In my case, because my mechanic said they needed to be replaced. I would have second-guessed the dealer, but I didn't question my local shop - especially since they know I like to supply my own parts and they aren't making any extra money on replacing the covers vs. just the gaskets.

I mean, they're plastic, so it seems feasible that sometimes when the gasket goes, the cover itself could get compromised.

 

u replaced them without asking why? i wouldnt be surprised if ur mech mistakenly thought it was jus like the g35 not knowing they changed it up.

 

Well, I doubt he mistakenly related it to a G35 common issue as it's a small town in central ohio and there are maybe 4-5 cars with Nissan VQ engines total driving around, but who knows, maybe I should have dug deeper. I'm not enough of an expert to say how likely it is that a given part will need to be replaced on specific models of any make other than what I've experienced. But like I said, it was a reputable shop that I've had a good relationship for some time, and they had no motivation to lead me astray on the issue.

 

that makes me wonder even more then where he got the idea that the covers needed full replacements. like u said small town and not really nissan experts at all. shops make mistakes all the time they cant know everything about every car. even my friends shop that i go to i corrected him a lot of times for specific things about my car. im not mad i cant expect him to know everything about every car he works on. im just glad i know enough to correct things before he waste his time and my money on things i dont need. im not just gonna believe everything a shop tells me unless maybe if its at the dealership but even they get it wrong sometimes

 

^^^well stated and absolutely true.. best way to deal with your car mech(and all of life's things in fact...)

 

I didn't want to open a new thread so I hope the op wouldn't mind.

I have leaking valve covers. So I have spoken with an infiniti and Nissan dealer.

Since I am at it I wanted them to change the spark plugs too. Well both of them gave me similar quotes:

Infiniti dealer $950
Nissan dealer $975 ($680 labour $300 parts including spark plugs )

I mean parts are ok (expensive compared to Amazon but ok) but the labor for valve cover leak seems excessive. Not to mention the Infiniti dealer is CHEAPER !!!

I will appreciate any information on this.

 

^did u try and read the entire thread? u dont need to replace the entire cover unless its physically damaged

 

I read it and that is not the point, I am ok with the price of parts , I think he will just change the gaskets etc not the covers anyways. What I am asking is the labor, even if I don't change the covers they will probably still charge 680 for the labor.

 

does it show what theyre charging per hour and how many hrs theyre charging. that would help. i would think no more than 3 hours

 

I also thought it was 3 hours but the manager (after some discussion with his mechanic far away from me decided that the labor is 680$). That is why I was curious about what others were quoted from the dealers.

I wish I had a garage, I could have probably done it myself. Well i may take it to the Infiniti dealer and maybe ask for some discount.

 

I think I will try an independent mechanic. Is it possible to tell if you need new covers quickly ? I have a feeling that at 83k miles I don't need new covers but who knows.

Can someone who did this repair help me telling me necessary parts ?

I am planning to get gaskets (should i get OEM or is there a better aftermarket option)?

If the mechanic tells me that the covers has to be replaced then I am planning to order them too.

 

 

im pretty sure our valve covers are plastic

 

 

Should I try to get the OEM gasket set (I think Nissan dealers usually sell them for a total of $50-60) or would an oem substitute like Mahle will work? I am not trying to cheap out on the parts it is just that if I leave it to the mechanic I don't know which one he will use. I can try to bring my own parts but that is usually a hassle with indie's.