New stainless steel VANOS covers

https://europowermotorsports.com/products/stainless-steel-vanos-covers-s65-engine

Anyone install these yet? I went with the Evolve aluminum ones, no problem so far. They claim here the aluminum will wear down? Didn’t seem like they are a moving part that would wear will installled. I wonder, besides that BMW decided plastic covers was good enough (not!), did they allow a certain amount of flex that steel covers may hinder and cause other bigger problems down the road on the VANOS, cams, etc? I don’t know enough about the VANOS system to answer that but curious if so. Would anyone that just installed the Evolve aluminum covers change them out for these? Or is that just a waste of time and money? The evolve covers are almost twice the price.

Hi, I did install them, it was bit tough to fit it correctly but so far no issues, and yes these are moving parts, VANOS will spin.

Herofmine wrote

Hi, I did install them, it was bit tough to fit it correctly but so far no issues, and yes these are moving parts, VANOS will spin.

Ah ok. So would you think the aluminum ones from evolve would wear out any different than the plastic ones that are OEM? My plastic ones had 98,000 miles and actually were just brittle but functional. Contemplating if worth changing from the evolve to these. I don’t drive it much anymore and doubt I’ll put another 100,000 on it ever again.

BimmerRob08 wrote

Ah ok. So would you think the aluminum ones from evolve would wear out any different than the plastic ones that are OEM? My plastic ones had 98,000 miles and actually were just brittle but functional. Contemplating if worth changing from the evolve to these. I don’t drive it much anymore and doubt I’ll put another 100,000 on it ever again.

No one knows.......
You are all the guinea pigs.
5,000 20,000 100,000 miles. We shall see.

Brandoch wrote

No one knows.......
You are all the guinea pigs.
5,000 20,000 100,000 miles. We shall see.

That is a good point.

There's 22 pages on this topic with a ton of good technical info.

https://www.m3post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2038382

But which is best? You decide.

BimmerRob08 what made you select Evolve?

I’m trying to decide on a clip-on option…

M3JayM wrote

BimmerRob08 what made you select Evolve?

I’m trying to decide on a clip-on option…

I’ve looked through tons of threads about these. Looks like top options are actual bolt ons like Mporium, NRW, Carbahn or clip on Evolve covers. So much debate on other clip ons (copies/reps of each other or issues with unclipping) I have yet to find any evidence that Evolve has had any failures. M539 restorations on YT is a well known BMW expert, he went with Mporium for his but says he would trust Evolve as well. If plastic lasted you 100k, can almost guarantee Evolve will last double that if installed correctly. I went with Evolve.

M3BrianG I’m not willing to spend the extra on labor for the engine retiming so I’m only considering clip-on…

I was leaning Slon because they’ve been around the longest and are slightly cheaper or Ventrax because supposedly it’s the closest thing to OEM, but aluminum.

Seems Evolve is more popular but someone else made a comment that seems accurate: “we’re all the guinea pigs” to see these different clip-on options longevity

M3JayM wrote

BimmerRob08 what made you select Evolve?

I’m trying to decide on a clip-on option…

At the time was the best choice. They are pretty stout and clip on well. So far so good. I had read side bad reviews about the other ones and the NRW ones require timing so that was beyond what I needed.

After extensive engineering analysis and real-world testing, one conclusion became very clear:
Stainless steel is the correct material for S65 VANOS covers.

The VANOS ring itself is hardened steel. When a softer material like aluminum is used in a high-vibration, high-cycle environment, micro-wear can develop over time at the contact points. It’s not immediate, but over thousands of cycles, that wear can reduce retention.

Stainless steel eliminates that issue entirely by matching the hardness and durability of the mating surface. There’s no compromise here. SS is just the right material for the application.

Beyond material choice, these covers were redesigned with:
• Internal balancing to minimize vibration at higher RPM
• Clear, precise alignment features to ensure proper seating

And just as important as material is fitment and tolerances. No other company has this level of data and research behind their VANOS covers. Every unit is verified through a metrology lab with 40+ dimensional checks to ensure perfect fitment and consistency. That level of validation matters.

These have been tested through heat cycles, track abuse, and sustained high-RPM driving and the result speaks for itself: Once they’re on, they stay on.

And in 2026, I can confidently say this is the best option available. Bar none.

Shop just quoted me like an extra $2000 parts and labor to replace the OEM plastic Vanos covers with the clip on Evolve ones that I’m providing while I’m having one of the valve covers (cyl 5-8) replaced…. I thought I read it’s very simple to do when having valve cover done. Is it that labor intensive to pop off the other valve cover to access the covers on that side?

Seems absurd. Please advise!

M3JayM wrote

Shop just quoted me like an extra $2000 parts and labor to replace the OEM plastic Vanos covers with the clip on Evolve ones that I’m providing while I’m having one of the valve covers (cyl 5-8) replaced…. I thought I read it’s very simple to do when having valve cover done. Is it that labor intensive to pop off the other valve cover to access the covers on that side?

Seems absurd. Please advise!

Brother, where do you live? If you’re close enough, I can have someone do it for free. That’s ridiculous. It should not take someone that’s an average DIY person more than
2 hours to get this done. You could yourself. I can send you some DIY’s. It’s very straightforward. And don’t spend the extra money buying the Evolve ones that are aluminum anyways. The SS ones are better and also cheaper. It’s a no brainer.

Abdul Atlanta

M3JayM wrote

Abdul Atlanta

Send me text on our business number. I can connect you with someone who can help you out there. I’ll give you a few options. No problem.

+15862077826

M3JayM wrote

Wasn’t able to get them installed so posted the Evolve covers for sale and will eventually get them done (next valve cover job I guess)

This is a perfect DIY!

Brandoch wrote

This is a perfect DIY!

For someone with tools, lifts, the space to work, and confidence in their mechanical skills… sure.

Unfortunately, that’s not me.