Major service being completed on my '96 C4 this week.

My Porsche tech found 2 different brands.... 6-NGK on bottom, and 6 BERU on top. The NGK's were in decent shape. Condition of NGK's was consistent with service records provided by PO. The BERU plugs were all in poor condition. Tech indicated that the BERU plugs were in for a long time. Based on service records and my own research, the BERU plugs have been in for 40,000 miles or more.

I'm hoping there is a good reason, which escapes me. My own conclusion: short cut....... and I hate short cuts.

Thoughts?

 

No good reason

 

I wouldn't say shortcut. More likely laziness.

Was the guy invoiced for 12 spark plugs? If so, the mechanic: 1. forgot about the top plugs, and/or 2. knew what he was in for replacing #6 up top.

If he was only invoiced for 6, then there is no good reason.

In any case, 40K miles isn't the end of the world for plugs. At least not with the unleaded fuel we now have.

 

In 2005, 40,000 miles ago, the invoice from Momentum Porsche specifies 12 plugs were replaced.

in 2009, 19,000 miles ago, the invoice from Rennsport (Sealy , TX) states, "1 set - spark plugs: $87.60 (parts price). This invoice also includes "Replace spark plug wire set" for $822 (parts) and $575 (labor).

 

Then I'd say someone forgot............ Better not changing a set of plugs, than leaving the wheels untorqued. Or not filling the crankcase. (Thankfully I've never done either, but you hear stories.)

 

Forgot? I think you're being kind. Wouldn't you set out 12 plugs before you started this job? Just saying.....

 

I have to agree. One would think that $900 in parts and $575 in labor would get you 12 plugs and wires replaced.

 

Stuff happens inside a shop. You do whatever on the bottom side before lunch/prior day, come back and do the plug wires later. Yeah, maybe the extra plugs are on the bench and noticed after it's all said and done. Thankfully I've never had a "crew" to deal with in running a shop.

Ultimately, this is about a 1.5 on a scale of 10 as far as what you discover about a car's history.

 

True.

 

Many 120 chassis 4Runners and FJ Cruisers were shipped from the factory with two different brand plugs, NGK on one bank, Nissin (iirc) on the other.

Now that's strange!

 

I paid Vortex Motorsports here in Tampa to change all my plugs a couple of years ago. When i had the engine out in April I changed them again. The top pax side (the hard one) was a different brand and looked to be much older than all the rest.
Draw your own conclusions.

 

Seems pretty clear.

 

Nothing to add here except a sidenote:
I posted a recent thread about hating oil changes on our beloved 993s ...hating the task, but I still refuse to have another do it because I cannot trust that the job will be done thoroughly since it is a simple procedure but requires that one attend to little details to ensure that the entire job is properly done. All too easy for a shop, unintentionally or nefariously, to neglect to do a piece of the job, thus leaving the owner with false peace of mind, not to mention a bit ripped off. And no where is this more true than with spark plug changes, with particular attention to that blasted 9th one!

Glad all seems well with your car and that things are getting addressed; and good job on being vigilent on your parts. Things like this gives us all the more reason to do some of this simple yet tedious work ourselves. IMHO, of course.

Edward

 

Or, do the #6 intake first, and it's all downhill from there!

It's not how I did them on the 4S last year, mainly due to how the job progressed; but here's a refresher on how to get it done as quickly as I've ever been able to figure out: https://rennlist.com/forums/showthre...ferrerid=21505

 

You'd think since all that ran me under $150 plus my time.

Yeah, it was my time, but I'm not wondering what was done and what was not and to what standard. I'm with Edward on that aspect of maintenance.

As for forgetting, running out of time...whatever. I'd like to have the facilities these shops have. If I can get to all 12 plugs easily enough using a jack and jack stand, what excuse do they have?