The independent shop did the routine stuff but advised I should have leaking valve covers replaced.
I haven't see any smoke (yet) or dirty engine compartment.

They claimed 17 hours labor and a multitude of small parts. How much of that is true? They
acknowledge no engine out but that's a lot of labor.

Any advice would be appreciated.

 

The valve cover & seals is approximately a 5hr job. The seals as I recall are a couple hundred dollars. Anyway doesn't sound urgent.

 

Thanks. I don't know where they get this 17 hours. Do you think it's something a VW/Audi guy could do
in lieu of a Bentley shop?

 

Any competent mechanic can perform this task. An honest mechanic will re-evaluate the situation and confirm if replacement is necessary.

 

My indie mechanic says my '16 GT with 27K miles will need this done soon as there's a small leak. He recommends changing the plugs at the same time while the access is available.

 

BruceR

Did they give you an estimate on the labor and parts for the valve cover and gaskets?

 

We didn't talk about the price but he did say they have to remove a lot of stuff to get to them. Next time I'm there I'll ask.

 

I've been quoted anywhere between 6 and 17 hours labor, which seems quite a wide range.

 

Hi @tteplitzmd ,

Which engine do you have in your 2013 GTC?

V8 or W12?

I might have missed it, but don't see reference to it in this thread.

Thanks,

Bwings

 

I've got the W12

They want to change the spark plugs at the same time as long as they're in there. I've only got less than 18,000 miles on the car.
Not keen on that if it''s only a 6 hour job.

 

I was told the same thing about changing the plugs even though I only have 27K mi. Toyota recommends changing plugs every 120K mi but this ain't no Toyota! IIRC, Bentley recommends changing them every 40K mi or 6 years, whichever comes first. To get to the plugs you have to do all the same time (& $) consuming steps as for the valve covers so doing them at the same time is like getting a "twofer" on the labor. The cost for 12 plugs if purchased at the dealer's parts counter is $380 retail or can be under $100 if purchased elsewhere. Unless our cars were actually diagnosed as needing new plugs, I doubt any of us would spend the labor money to do it as a standalone preventative maintenance item (and if we did we'd probably change the valve cover gaskets while we were in there anyway!) so, for the relatively small incremental cost of the plugs, it only makes sense to replace them while they're accessible.

 

Hi @tteplitzmd

Since you have the W12, I have some hands on here. If it was the V8, and BC a V8 is a 90* block instead of the 60* block of the W12, the cam covers end up buried along the fender wells on the V8 and, my opinion, more labor intensive than the W12.

Changing plugs and cover gaskets on a W12 is in NO WAY a 17 hour job. Quoting that many hours, in my opinion, suggests a shop that has never done it before so they're making sure they aren't losing money while learning along the way. Or, if they know what they're doing, they are making a killing here.

I believe, if I did both cover gaskets and changed the plugs, I'd be under even 6 hours, although 6 hours is probably a satisfactory number. Once you've been "under" the intake manifold and know how to take that off so you don't incur considerable costs in intake gaskets, the covers and plugs are readily accessible. I'll demonstrate this in a few pics below.

Regards the plugs and their cost, the plug used in this engine is a double platinum and not an iridium plug, and why the change interval is much lower than some other cars. The plug used in this engine is not used anywhere else (maybe the W16), therefore, the cost is high on these AND hard to find. You cannot use the plug from the NA W12s used in the Audi or the VW as, BC of the forced induction in the Bentley, this plug needs to be colder than those.

These are the parts I need to remove to get to the cam covers and plugs. I can do these covers in about 30 to 45 minutes. Similar times to reassemble.




Once I get these parts off, I see this:





Now, I have all of the components exposed to change gaskets and plugs (and yes, the plugs are a freeby kinda). If it took me 4 hours to do this labor at this point, I'd be taking a nap half way through just to get to 4.

Hope this helps you.

Bwings

 

Wow, that's an impressive reply.
I think the shop is capable of doing it, but the poor guy who does the repair is not the guy who prices it. This is an independent
shop who I think has learned the Bentley dealer's business model. The shop mechanic confided to me there is nothing urgent
here, and understands the owner pushes stuff like this.

I did get a good parts list though to keep for reference down the line. I will post it separately..

 

attached

 

So, a couple of suggestions - If you like the shop, suggest, BC of the significant # of hours (17), you'd like to get another estimate. Go back and tell them another shop is estimating (a verbal) 6 hours labor. Ask them why their estimate is so much more; have them explain what they need to do that would have your car in repair for two whole 8 hour shifts, plus part of the third day. Doesn't have to be confrontational, just inquisitive. If their shop rate is $150, that would be $2550 just for the labor.

Second suggestion - ask them to show you where they saw the leak and are they positive it is a cam cover. I say that BC most of the cam cover (on both banks) is not really visible. The leak could also possibly be one of the spark plug well seals, which is a little bit common. When one (or more) of those leak, they flood the spark plug well and often short out the plug. Did you happen to bring the car in for a misfire? Did you have a CEL with a P03xx? (Any number or combination of P0300 or P0301 to P0312)? If so, they might just be concluding a SP seal is leaking and would also explain the plug change too which is a little early at 18,000 miles.

Best,

Bwings