What Is The Vanos Unit And Why Do They Fail Prematurely?

The vanos unit is designed to vary the the engine intake and exhaust valve timing to help improve engine performance.

The OEM o-rings are made from Buna, a material that is not suitable to withstand the higher temperatures found in automotive engines. As the piston seals are removed the OEM o-rings can be found to be extremely hard and in some cases splitting.

The long term solution is to use our 'Vanos Seal Kit' to replace the OEM Buna o-rings with Viton o-rings which are more commonly found in the automotive industry and are able to withstand the environmental affects within the vanos units better. This along with our custom manufactured PTFE rings make sure that your performance is factory restored and will last the LIFETIME of the engine, not the manufacturers warranty period.

It is not possible to purchase individual seals from BMW, instead they supply either brand new Vanos units or reconditioned vanos units. However both come with the same weaker buna o-rings which will lead to vanos seals failure in the near future again.

These can be fitted by any competent mechanic or DIY- er. There are no special tools required other than a waterpump pulley holding tool which can make life easier...however a mallet and some force can be used instead.. There is no need for any cam locking tools to perform this seal repair kit either.

What Symptoms would I experience?

On cold start a vanos rattle

Warm Idle vanos clattering, similar to the diesels

Poor low down torque and power.

Uneven power delivery

Why choose i6 Vanos seals kit?

We aim to not only exceed the quality of the manufacturers seals, but that as well of the current market. Our seal kit is made to our own specified standard. The seals are manufactured to within fractions of a millimeters tolerances, any minor fluctuations in size could result in oil seeping past the seals causing the same degradation of the engines performance.

Our Viton rings are manufactured to withstand the different temperatures found in the vanos unit. Not only is it important to withstand the highest temperatures, but it is just as important to be able to withstand the range of temperatures seals can be subjected to. This ensures long term efficiency of the seals.

Our PTFE rings are also custom made to ensure that they will not be prone to easy wear whilst in the vanos unit. It is crucial that the correct percentage of raw materials and manufacturing techniques are used to ensure they will not be susceptible to short or long term damage which would allow the Viton rings to protrude out. Our seal kits have gone though stringent amounts of piston seal testing to ensure they will last the lifetime of the car and not degrade over time.

Because we are able to manufacture in house and supply direct to end users and the trade, we can offer the most competitive prices as well ensuring that not only do you have the highest quality products, but you also receive the best value.