For my 03 sedan with 72k miles. Stock. Daily driver. I am the 2nd owner. Little old lady b4 me.

Was swapping coils and plugs as preemptive maint. Discovered a small amount of oil in the rear plug hole on the passenger/right side. I’m going to replace both valve covers which I’m sure are original on my car.

So many darn choices lol. oem? Aftermarket aluminum covers?

What are folks going with? Thanks !

 

I’m assuming these will work fine ?

https://www.ebay.com/itm/35522835008...mis&media=COPY

 

I used the red painted Mitzone units that Kie linked, think I paid $130ish on amazon. Build quality is good but the finish quality is very bad, tons of poorly adhered overspray in the inside over the cover. Driver side I was able to sand/chip away, but pass side I ended up sand blasting because there was so much paint on the inside. If I didn't have the tools to deal with that I would not buy them again.

 

@MooseLucifer thanks for the input. Hilarious. Maybe they offer them raw / unpainted ?

 

I don't see an unpainted set, but it looks like they have a plastic set for half the price on Amazon. Not sure if I'd trust them. I was in a rush to get mine done before a track day, but if you have the time it might be worth ordering two sets, picking the best LH/RH and return/replacing until you have a decent pair.

I also used Fel-Pro gaskets instead of the ones provide, which were significantly harder/stiffer than the Fel-Pro.

 

I ordered a set of Mitzone covers as well and had no issues with the paint. The only thing I disliked was that the crankcase breather hose, shown in the description with the covers, was missing. I also ordered Fel-Pro gaskets as recommended in many other posts.
There are 2 great YouTube videos that outline the job! Step by step. Just make sure to NOT over torque the cover bolts! AMHIK Start at 35 inch pounds, in the correct sequence, then 65 in lb.

 

Car is running so smooth since changing out the valve covers. No leaks, no more smell of oil burning on the manifold. To be fair, I also changed out the plugs and new intake hose, so that may also be contributing to the smoother ride.