Our first gens eat valve cover gaskets for breakfast. I would buy another one just in case, seeing how they're under $20 anyway.

Dealerships, just like any other place, can be very lazy, and there's many stories on the forums of people being taken for rides. If I were you, I'd do as much work on your car by yourself as possible! Thanks to the DIY threads, there's almost nothing you can't do alone ^^

Good luck, I'm crossing my fingers that your sparkplugs will be dry!