Realize that shops' quotes won't include the kind of time and care that owners put into their cars. A valve cover doesn't have to be perfect to be functionally perfect...dark stains on the inside (or outside) of the cover will never hurt anything. I'd be very wary of turning them loose on a valve cover with chemicals that will eat the paint off the outer surface!elwesso wrote:If you take it to a shop, make sure you tell them specifically to clean the covers VERY good.... Until perfect....
Tell them paint and varnish remover works WONDERFUL!!! That stuff in a spray bottle made my life so much easier!