Head Gasket Kit

[Cabriolet]

And also understand, that this can vary out of any given batch of the same brand cylinder head.

This is the kind of internet wisdom I am referring to.

i'm not 100% sure what you are getting at. i show you proof with pictures and you don't believe me, your loss. the VR gasket is the lowest quality gasket (material and beading), why use is?

OP if you use the VR, you will be doing the job again. maybe not imminently but it will fail.

[SkiFree]

OP if you use the VR, you will be doing the job again. maybe not imminently but it will fail.

This is what I and the others in this thread are getting at, the "internet wisdom" that the VR's are bound to fail is ridiculous.

Shoot, put into that perspective the OP better watch out because his engine, while maybe not immediately, will fail.

[AlphaE]

more data. Less he said she said please.

I have the same question and will probably go oem just cuz it makes sense and the few $$$ more are well worth the hrs of doin it over IF the supposed weaker brand fails.

[jeffnhiscars]

It's fair to say that the "VR bashing" could be at least party due to the prep & install. Maybe they just have loss wiggle room or amateurs are not doing it just right. Who knows.

I also agree that showing pics of gaskets doesn't prove anything as to their effectiveness. We've all read the thread on hg's, Korman sells and uses VR as have lots of people, but the track record was enough for me to go a different route.

It's all anecdotal...and I'm going to call "BS" on the silicone being meaningful.

[ForcedFirebird]

Being an e30 specialty shop owner, I will attest that the VR gaskets are inferior through experience, not through the interdweebs.

I have held the gaskets in my hand the the quality is apparent, and maybe no one is noticing the pics, or realizing the differences.

To start, I did 3 head gasket jobs almost in a row several years ago. No, your car won't blow up since one of these e30's is still owned by the same guy that drove it off the lot - his car is still driven 30mi each way to work - daily. The gasket started to leak on the corner about a month after.

Case #2, the gasket was letting oil into the exhaust manifold and spitting it out the exhaust.

Case #3 the gasket started to leak on the corner of the head.

All three cases were the gaskets fault. The head was pulled back off the one of them and the oil had made it's way past the silicone, clear as day.

As far as the cam seal leaking, you need to move the seal off the groove when installing a new one, or you can also take the spring out and clip a couple links off it.

I only buy the Elring kits now and on the higher end builds use the OEM BMW head gasket. The Elring kit isn't much more and a much higher quality. As far as other issues from the VR gasket kit I have experienced personally, only the valve cover gasket. they are too hard and thin - perhaps if the head wasn't 20-something years old and didn't have a bazillion heat cycles (causes slight warpage), they would seal better.

Take it or leave it, but this is my actual experience after having worked on hundreds of e30's - it is my full time job. Your car won't spontaneously combust, will probably run just fine for years, but to me there is no need for a leaky or smoke-blowing engine.

[jeffnhiscars]

John, Im not defending VR at all and its professional experience like yours that prevented me from even considering their HG when there are clearly other brands with better track records.

Im just saying its all very unscientific and that the specific point about how much silicone is better, just doesn't fly in my book.

Over time the collective volume of experience does become statistically valid, but then you talk to someone like Korman who seems to use VR exclusively (thats the only brand they offer for sale) and you start to feel like you are chasing your tail. Thats why I said f&*k it and was just waiting on my machinist to measure the head for gasket thickness before I ordered a BMW gasket. He then offered to get me one thru his supplier, said it was an Elring for $44 and I felt that was good enough.

We all agree that a HG is just too damn important to take chances on. It's just stupid that a company like VR who, for example, supplies OEM head bolts would allow this kind of track record to take hold on a head gasket.

[ForcedFirebird]

There's more than just the gasket material. If you measure the alignment dowel near the front of the engine and measure the hole in the gasket, VR made the hole too small by several thousandths. That was the first indicator. I still went on and used them a couple more times thinking maybe it was a fluke, but they are all like that.

Take this with a grain of salt: VR gaket ~$38, Elring ~$44, OEM BMW ~$90. Sure it's twice the price, but when you look at the big picture, $45-50 is not a lot of money for extra insurance.

The gasket is cheaper and will work, but has annoying consequences.

[jeffnhiscars]

There's more than just the gasket material. If you measure the alignment dowel near the front of the engine and measure the hole in the gasket, VR made the hole too small by several thousandths. That was the first indicator. I still went on and used them a couple more times thinking maybe it was a fluke, but they are all like that.

Take this with a grain of salt: VR gaket ~$38, Elring ~$44, OEM BMW ~$90. Sure it's twice the price, but when you look at the big picture, $45-50 is not a lot of money for extra insurance.

The gasket is cheaper and will work, but has annoying consequences.

I think we are saying the same thing except that people are paying you so the cost of any deficiencies is much greater.

I can take a 12 gauge to my engine and people will buy popcorn to watch. If you do it you are out of business. Can't have that.