Every great build starts with a problem. Mine began the same way—a nagging frustration that pushed me to create something better. If you own an E9x M3 with the S65 V8, you already know how incredible this engine is. It's a masterpiece, capable of thrilling revs and that legendary BMW growl. Yet hiding beneath all that brilliance was a pair of porous magnesium covers that warped after a few heat cycles, wept oil along the rails, and left hairline cracks. I couldn’t un-see the weakness, so I set out to erase it.
Two years later, those pain points became the toughest valve covers I could imagine. Here’s how the grind turned into reality.
Watch more behind the scenes here.
From Sketch to CNC
When I first posted sketches of these valve covers online, they were nothing more than drawings—an ambitious idea born out of necessity and frustration. Early attempts weren't easy: unreliable vendors, lost time, and wasted money almost made me give up. Naively inspired, I wired a deposit to the first CNC vendor who promised the moon—and watched the shop disappear. The second vendor shipped covers so out-of-flat they rocked visibly on a granite plate. I was bleeding time and cash, wondering if this problem was really mine to solve.
But passion has a funny way of pushing you forward. I eventually found an exceptional machine shop in Maryland, whose craftsmanship matched my vision perfectly. I flew the owner to Detroit. We bolted them on my E92 right there in the garage. No pry-bar wrestling, no gasket gaps—just a perfect ten-newton-meter click around the perimeter. That moment made every setback worth it. They fit like they'd always belonged there.
Because the community carried this idea from sketch to metal, the first twenty sets are going out at cost, each including matching oil-control baffles as a quiet thank-you.
Why Billet Aluminum Over Cast Magnesium?
The factory magnesium covers BMW chose are great for keeping weight down, but that comes with trade-offs. Magnesium is porous—meaning it traps tiny air bubbles inside—and under the extreme heat cycles of hard driving, it starts to warp and deform. After pulling off a set of OEM covers that looked like a dried-out riverbed, I knew I had to find something stronger and more reliable.
Billet aluminum was the obvious answer. Starting with a solid chunk of aerospace-grade aluminum nearly a quarter-inch thick, we precisely machined away everything that wasn’t essential strength. The result? A cover with zero internal flaws, completely uniform in structure, and significantly stronger than the factory version. Sure, they’re about 14 ounces heavier, but I’ll happily trade that small weight increase for covers that stay perfectly flat even after countless heat cycles.
Hard Anodizing for Real World Use
When you’re building something special, the finish matters just as much as the metal underneath. Powder coating looks amazing initially, but it’s fragile—one slip of a wrench or spill of brake cleaner and you’ve got flaking or scratches. Hard anodizing is a totally different beast. Instead of sitting on the surface, it becomes part of the aluminum itself, creating a tough, durable barrier that won’t chip, fade, or corrode.
We put ours through aggressive testing, including long hours in a salt-spray chamber, and they came out looking exactly like they went in—zero corrosion, no discoloration, no changes at all. Hard anodizing gives you the confidence that your covers will look and perform their best year after year, no matter how hard you push your car. And hey, if you still want a custom color, we’ll powder-coat them any shade you’d like. But for anyone serious about driving, hard anodizing is definitely the way to go.
Direct Fit, No Drama
Nothing ruins a weekend faster than a part labeled “bolt-on” that ends up needing major surgery to install. I designed these covers to fit perfectly the first time. They reuse the factory gaskets and hardware, accommodate both stock and popular aftermarket coils, and bolt straight on using BMW’s original torque specs—no guesswork, no headaches.
Run your finger along the sealing rail and you’ll feel smooth, flawless aluminum instead of the gritty, uneven surface of cast magnesium. And the best part? Once installed, they stay perfectly flat. Whether you’re hitting the dyno, carving up track days, or putting your car away for the winter, these valve covers deliver reliability without a second thought.
The Intangibles
Whether these covers find their way onto one car or a hundred, seeing them complete feels like victory. If you’re elbows-deep in your own project right now, remember: the journey itself is the real reward. Keep going.
Precision-cut from billet, hard-anodized for life, and born from stubborn passion—these valve covers are my answer to a problem I refused to ignore. I hope they become part of your answer too.
- Abdul