So, my 2003 Accent has a plastic valve cover. It seemed like the gasket around the valve cover was leaking, so I went ahead and replaced it with a new one. When I was putting the cover back on again, I first made all the bolts semi-tight, then I began to torque them down, working from the middle to the outside. They only needed to be tightened to 6-7 ft-lbs. But, it cracked when I was torquing down the first one (with a torque wrench).
I mean, I think I did everything right. I guess plastic that's been heat- cycled on an engine for 13 years gets brittle after awhile. I ended up getting a $80 replacement on Amazon, and it's all together again. I feel a little displeased at the cheapness of this car's design I guess. But what can you expect from an inexpensive car?
Anyway, just for everyone's information.