Oil Pan Gasket is leaking oil
 

Hi All,

I have 2006 530xi, recent inspection by mechanic suggests that "Oil Pan Gasket is leaking Engine Oil" and he quoted $875 to fix the problem? Can someone help me understand how serious is this? and is there any cheaper option to resolve this?

Please note : The car is not in Warranty.

Thanks,
Abhinav

875? Do it. Around here its $1400.00 for Xi models. I have RWD and it cost me around $800. So yeah, do it!

I've had an upper gasket leak for 6 years. Its real slow and I do not need to add oil between changes. No need for me to spend the money on it. So I would suggest if it is not pouring leave it alone.

Common failure point on BMW six cylinder engines. I don't know how bad it is, but it will get worse over time. If it's not puking oil, you can always just top off as needed until it gets bad enough to warrant replacement.

Thanks Guys; I don't think it's leaking much; I didn't see any signs/spots on the garage floor; on idrive also the oil level is pretty good.

Thanks and Regards,
Abhinav
2006 530 xi

no spots on the ground... don't worry about it.

That said, the quoted price is very cheap. and, that said, it makes me wonder if this mechanic understands what he is quoting. Makes me suspicious.

+1

I did mine about a month ago. My indie suggested changing the value cover and not just the gasket. The value cover has pollution gear that he said will gum up around 110,000 and then require repair. The labor cost is high and therefore he suggested doing it all at once. Now at 108,000 and the car drives like new and is perfect except it is time to replace the front struts.

The car (e61) seems to need repairs costing $1,000 to $2,000 every year which is still cheaper than leasing or purchasing a new one.

I will probably get a 2019 MB wagon next year but have a hard time justifying it since the BMW is such a nice car and drives so nice.

I changed my rocker cover and sump gaskets last Sunday

The entire job took about 5 hours
The sump was a little difficult as I was in my driveway on my back but easy to do by myself

The gaskets cost me about $50