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BMW 3-Series (E90 E92) Forum > E90 / E92 / E93 3-series Powertrain and Drivetrain Discussions > N54 Turbo Engine / Drivetrain / Exhaust Modifications - 335i > Bosch vs. BMW ZGR6STE2 Spark Plugs: Essentially No Difference (Photos)



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      01-09-2013, 09:28 PM   #23
maxipad96
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Actually autozone has a 2 dollar rebate on each plug right now.
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      02-06-2013, 06:43 PM   #24
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Quote:
Originally Posted by benzy89 View Post
I mean BMW recommends you change them every 25k-30k, but as long as you're not misfiring there's no reason to replace them.

No they don't! BMW says to replace the N54/N55 plugs at 45K miles. NA engines call for new spark plugs at 100K miles.


Bellow is a picture of the official BMW AG decall that cars in Germany get when they have a PPK2 installed...
Name:  Sparkplugs ppk2 (1).jpg
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The sign says first change plugs at 67K kms, then every 60K kms. PPK2 installed.



Quote:
Originally Posted by BX TT3 View Post
They cost $111 bucks at the dealer and $91 at auto zone... 10 bucks is killing anyone of you especially if your mom didnt buy you the car... lol jk
+1. I'd rather buy OE BMW plugs than OEM (factory seconds). I have had too much bad luck with OEM parts and would rather do the job ONCE then every few months again and again. The price difference isn't that big of a deal.


PLUS... I have read a few misfire threads on the e90forum after replacing plugs and coils... only to find out the problem was a bad OEM spark plug.


Maybe this DIY will help some of you guys out.

135i Spark Plug replacement DIY...
http://www.1addicts.com/forums/showthread.php?t=602804



Also note that N54 plugs are different from N55 spark plugs.


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      02-07-2013, 07:27 PM   #25
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I have a slight misfire and just got these. They will be going in next Saturday, I'll give you all an update.
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      02-07-2013, 08:29 PM   #26
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Good to know that they're the same. Will attribute the difference to BMW tax...

Thanks for the heads up.
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      02-08-2013, 09:44 AM   #27
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Quote:
Originally Posted by minivan View Post
Good to know that they're the same. Will attribute the difference to BMW tax...

Thanks for the heads up.
I don't believe the OEM plugs to be the exact same as what BMW sells. To each his own.
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      02-08-2013, 04:41 PM   #28
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mee i had replaced since 35 000 km by bosh, i do it myself and no problem...(when my car had 95 000 km)

today i have 131 000 km

Last edited by kiteboy; 02-08-2013 at 04:46 PM..
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      02-08-2013, 06:09 PM   #29
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Dackelone View Post

+1. I'd rather buy OE BMW plugs than OEM (factory seconds). I have had too much bad luck with OEM parts and would rather do the job ONCE then every few months again and again. The price difference isn't that big of a deal.

Dackel
What makes you believe they are factory seconds? Do you have any evidence?

BTW a number of auto parts places have the Bosch branded plugs for &12/13 each.
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      02-09-2013, 03:55 AM   #30
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BEAR-AvHistory View Post
What makes you believe they are factory seconds? Do you have any evidence?
I have seen three or four posts on the e90forum where members had misfires after using OEM plugs. Its been documented.


Quote:
Originally Posted by BEAR-AvHistory View Post
BTW a number of auto parts places have the Bosch branded plugs for &12/13 each.
That is about the same price you can buy them at the dealer or from any one of the forum sponsors here. Given the choice I would rather use an OE part over a OEM.
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      02-09-2013, 05:53 AM   #31
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Interesting about the 3 or 4 forum posts. There are 11 second N54's running on the Bosch plug with out any misfire issues so I would think that the antidotal evidence tends to either washout or suite what anyone chooses to believe. They don't even add a B or something to the part number to distinguish it from their own branded plugs.

Regarding the pricing you gave a +1 to a post above at $111/91 for BMW branded Bosch plugs. Its not a big deal but you can buy a set of Bosch brand for $69. I would think without hard evidence to the contrary why spend extra for a different label on the exact same manufactures part number?
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      06-16-2013, 02:13 PM   #32
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look at the center electrode in the middle of the prongs.. looks like the bmw ones are slightly rounded while the bosch oem ones are very squared.. I think bmw has its own specifications.
you think you can go buy a denso spark plug and a HKS spark plug made by denso and expect the same? my opinion..but the center electrode of the plugs are clearly different
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      07-17-2014, 01:48 AM   #33
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Quote:
Originally Posted by steedsta View Post
look at the center electrode in the middle of the prongs.. looks like the bmw ones are slightly rounded while the bosch oem ones are very squared.. I think bmw has its own specifications.
you think you can go buy a denso spark plug and a HKS spark plug made by denso and expect the same? my opinion..but the center electrode of the plugs are clearly different
Yes, you are correct. They are different. If one looks at them without a sharp eye, one would miss the differences, such as the coating on the tip of the center electrode and the rounded edges. I don't know if this does anything, but these things are definitely different from the generic Bosch plugs.
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      07-17-2014, 02:29 AM   #34
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^^1 year later!!!
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      07-17-2014, 08:17 AM   #35
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thread resurrected from the dead, btw Went back to the Bosch plugs from NGK 5992's..
For my car, FBO feels better with Bosch plugs, just my experience.
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      07-17-2014, 04:17 PM   #36
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Quote:
Originally Posted by matreyia View Post
Yes, you are correct. They are different. If one looks at them without a sharp eye, one would miss the differences, such as the coating on the tip of the center electrode and the rounded edges. I don't know if this does anything, but these things are definitely different from the generic Bosch plugs.
The inside of the insulator is also different OE Bosch/BMW plugs vs Bosch OEM plugs. IF you were to cut the spark plug vertically, you would see the difference inside the ceramic insulator.

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      07-17-2014, 04:35 PM   #37
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Used both Bosch and OEM BMW with a Cobb tune.
No difference in performance with stage 1 - aggressive.

Also at 25-30K either the BMW or Bosch plugs should be swapped out if using a "real" tune.
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      07-17-2014, 04:55 PM   #38
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Changed my plugs at 40k from oem to Bosch ZGR. Have couple hundred miles on the plugs and have rough cold start and misfire in 2 cylinders. I will be switching back to oem. I never had any problems running stage 1+ with oem
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      07-17-2014, 04:58 PM   #39
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So strange people are getting mixed results. In preparation for a tune removed the original OEM plugs on my 40k mi '10 and switched to BOSCH's and 2k miles later on Stg 2 FMIC+ still running strong w/o a single misfire.
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      07-17-2014, 06:12 PM   #40
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Dackelone View Post
The inside of the insulator is also different OE Bosch/BMW plugs vs Bosch OEM plugs. IF you were to cut the spark plug vertically, you would see the difference inside the ceramic insulator.
And therefore your recommendation would be to stick to BMW plugs? There may be a difference now it seems, but I guess the bigger question is "Does it matter?"
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      07-17-2014, 06:19 PM   #41
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Lotus99 View Post
And therefore your recommendation would be to stick to BMW plugs? There may be a difference now it seems, but I guess the bigger question is "Does it matter?"
Yes, there is a difference. Yes, it does matter. Some members run into misfire issues when they use the non-BMW dealer plugs. They end up replacing the coil packs and injectors only to go back and replace the after market plugs with BMW bought ones. For this reason, I would only use BMW bought plugs.

IMO its not worth taking a risk with aftermarket plugs to save a few bucks.

Then again... many guys here use the Bosch(aftermarket) plugs with no issues. But some people do have problems with them. In my mind its not worth taking a chance. I would rather use parts thru my dealer.
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      07-18-2014, 04:59 AM   #42
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Dackelone View Post
Yes, there is a difference. Yes, it does matter. Some members run into misfire issues when they use the non-BMW dealer plugs. They end up replacing the coil packs and injectors only to go back and replace the after market plugs with BMW bought ones. For this reason, I would only use BMW bought plugs.

IMO its not worth taking a risk with aftermarket plugs to save a few bucks.

Then again... many guys here use the Bosch(aftermarket) plugs with no issues. But some people do have problems with them. In my mind its not worth taking a chance. I would rather use parts thru my dealer.
So why is BMW listing those BOSCH themselves at the ETK?
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      07-18-2014, 08:49 AM   #43
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I have run the Bosch (50k - 2 sets) with no problems like many other people, I highly doubt they caused misfires unless they were damaged.
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      07-18-2014, 09:08 AM   #44
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I've been running Bosch ZGR6STE2's off amazon, replaced every 10k, E85 tunes. Never a problem. I ran the NGK's for a while and went back.
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