Spark plug life

R

RayM

Member
 Cheltenham
Morning all

Can anyone tell me the life expectancy on the spark plugs for the M54 3.0 litre engine please in mileage and or age? The ones in mine have done about 12K but are 4 years old. :)

What are the best ones to go for... NGK?

One other thing sorry, how difficult is it to change the manual gear stick for the shorter stubby one and can anyone recommend a good supplier?

Thank you..
 
For the Gear Knob you want a BMW ZHP Knob and its just pull the old one off and push the new one on :) just watch your face when you pull off the old one and some have punched themselves in the past.

Spark plugs, not sure on life but i would think they would be fine, i use NGK Iridium plugs in mine and have no complaints :)
 
Regarding the spark plugs, mileage-wise they're well within their expected lifetime but, if they've been in place for 4 years it's worth removing and inspecting them - if they're in good condition carry on using them.

I only do low-mileage in my car but I remove and visually inspect the spark plugs at least once a year, removal has the added benefit of ensuring that they don't become seized which is a possibility if they're left in place for years on end
 
Inspection 2 is when they get replaced according to the BMW schedule and that's about 100,000km/50,000 miles. Unless you engine has any serious issues I can't see any reason to replace them based purely on the time period of 4 years.
 
Having suffered from a spark plug failure on my E36 M3, by which i mean the electrode tip snapped off in the combustion chamber, if you have any doubt at all get them replaced. Its only about £40-£50 for a set so really isn't worth the risk.

I was very fortunate that it blew through without doing any damage, but it could have been a whole lot worse!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom