I am replacing my 2013 Nissan Rogue valve cover. According to the service manual, there are 2 versions of valve covers. A 10 bolt version and a 12 bolt version. Both look identical otherwise.

My valve cover has 10 bolts (4 in the front). The 12 bolt version has a 5th bolt in the front row.

After removing my 10 bolt OEM valve cover, I noticed that there are actually 12 bolt holes in the engine block. Strange that the OEM valve cover only used 10 of the 12 holes.

I bought a Dorman valve cover with 12 bolt holes. So should I:

1. Just use my 10 bolts and use the 10 holes as per OEM. Ignore the 2 extra holes.

2. Find another 2 bolts and use all 12 bolt holes?

Does it even matter as long as I tightened the bolts as per service manual sequence and torque?

I just went through this in the other direction with a guy on a different forum, his car had a 12-bolt and the replacement cover he received was 10-bolt. Evidently Nissan made a running change at some point in the QR's life and blocked off two of the holes. I doubt it makes any difference from a structural or performance perspective, but crud mountains accumulating in the unused holes might complicate things next time you change the cover. If it was me, I'd either get two more screws or put some rubber plugs in the unused holes to keep the deck clean.

Thanks for the info, @vstar650cl. I realize that Nissan does this all the time - reducing bolt holes in their parts. Great tip on keeping the extra holes clean for the future.I am going to plug them up with RTV since I know I will have lots of it remaining. Chasing down 2 extra bolts will be a hassle. I live far from junk years and Nissan dealers.