Hey everyone! I've been reading these forums a lot since I bought my first Audi 2 years ago. Awesome repository of information here!

I have a 2005 A4, with the 2.0L quattro and a 6-speed transmission. It's had a fairly steady, but not large, leak from the valve cover gasket for quite some time, and I finally got around to taking it in to my mechanic. I kind of wish I would have attempted this myself, but I live in MN and don't have a garage, so I said screw it! I have a mechanic I really like, so I took it in. The rear diff seal was leaking too so they replaced that as well.

They replaced the valve cover gasket, and threw in some new spark plugs while they were at it, they were pretty dirty and I think due for a change.

New plugs, new rear diff seal(passenger side), and new head cover gasket, ~$600 for parts and labor.

I just got the car back and it just seems off a bit. It's starting a bit rougher and definitely seems to run louder. I especially notice it after taking my foot off the gas(before shifting), seems a bit sputtery, maybe even sounds like it's misfiring a bit. I don't really know enough about cars to know if that's really something that could happen from these repairs, but after taking a closer look I just feel like it was a sloppy job.

First, it doesn't appear they cleaned anything after replacing the valve cover. The bolts, the little metal tray underneath, the general area, etc. Which is kind of a bummer cause it's hard for me to know if starts leaking again unless I go through and clean it all up now. I know you're supposed to clean the parts that fit together(maybe they did that?) really well so you get a nice seal, but everything around it is still an oily mess. Then I tried to look at the seal itself and it just looks a bit weird to me, but I've admittedly never changed one before. From these pictures, can anyone tell if this valve cover gasket looks right?

On top of that, they obviously test drove the car and didn't bother putting fresh gloves . I now have a ton of oil marks on my side curtain next to my seat belt.

So yeah, to sum it up?

1. Am I right to be a little peeved that they didn't clean anything up after or during this job? It's far easier to wipe those bolts and stuff clean while the valve cover is off.
2. Does the gasket look seated right? I can try to get more pictures if this isn't clear enough.
3. Is there any reasonable reason that my car would start rougher and run louder after getting this job done?

I appreciate any help or advice, want to be somewhat informed before giving my mechanic a call, as that's always a bit intimidating for me.


valve cover gasket, looks a bit bowed on the right and left corners.