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Preferred Spark Plugs for 2008 2.0L BPY

23K views 6 replies 4 participants last post by  TC-12  
#1 ·
Contemplating a first tune up for this ride I just bought, one I'm not really familiar with yet. Four questions for ya on spark plugs. Thanks!

1. Your preferred spark plugs for this engine. Brand, single platinum, double-platinum, iridium, unicorn horn tipped, etc.
2. Brands or plug types that DIDN'T work well for you in this engine.
3. Without going out to my car to check the owner's manual, I'll assume that the Bentley schedule of 60K miles I'm looking at now is correct. Does that number assume no platinum....single platinum....double platinum...iridium? (Or unicorn horn.) Change out intervals of up to 100K miles are advertised for the better plugs out there -- ACDelco states "ACDelco's Professional Platinum Spark Plugs can give up to 100,000 miles of service in some applications" -- so a 60K change out schedule seems a bit conservative, but maybe VW has good reason for that.
4. Based on a few bad experiences with seized spark plugs while working on my friends' rides, the thought of NOT using anti-seize grease is sacrilege to me. Has anyone had any unexpected problems with using plug grease on this engine? Thanks.
 
#3 ·
I have been getting my NGK's from ECS Tuning. I haven't experienced any problems getting them out or putting them in. I usually change mine every 30K miles though. Cheap enough to be safe. I put irridiums in about 6000K miles ago, haven't really noticed any difference. I have APR Stage I, I will put a set one step cooler next time to try that out.
 
#4 ·
Thanks, Bill and RB. Appreciate it. For what it's worth, my Haynes (Audi A4) repair manual calls for Denso PK20PR11 double-platinum for the 2.0, and Bentley calls for Bosch (I don't recall which, but assume it's probably Bosch FR6KPP332S). I found an EBay seller who was unloading four of the Densos for about 12 bucks....couldn't pass that up.
 
#5 ·
I checked my Bentley manual (published May 2008), and for the 2.0L it calls for Bosch F6KPP332S plugs, gap of 0.028" (BPY) and 0.040" (CCTA, CBFA), torque 18 ft-lbs. My Haynes manual covering Audi A4s up through 2008 calls for Denso PK20PR11, gap 0.035" (doesn't differentiate between engine codes), 22 ft-lbs torque. An amusing observation in the Haynes manual for the 3.2L V6 engine, it calls for a different brand and part number of plug for each year; 2005 Denso, 2006 Autolite, 2007 NGK, and 2008 Bosch. Go figure.

A bit of trivia regarding the better plugs, DON’T touch the center electrode of IRIDIUM plugs with a gapper if you can avoid it. They’re fragile to physical contact and typically are properly pre-gapped anyway. Denso states, “Even with small variations in the factory set gap, the ultra-efficient iridium firing design will compensate for those small variations. In most cases your Iridium Power plugs do not need to be gapped. Should you decide to re-gap your iridium plug, use extreme caution as improper gapping may damage or destroy the Iridium center electrode or porcelain center.” Also gap PLATINUM plugs gently, rubbing against the platinum contact(s) as little and gently as practical. Use a disk type (ramped) gapper for platinum plugs, rather than a wire gapper; the ramped gappers are said to be easier on the platinum surfaces according to an older Haynes manual I have. Type WMR-W80535 and SHC-940816 in Google to see examples of each type of gapper.
 
#6 ·
1. Double-Platinum plug:
  • Bosch FR6KPP332S (stock)
  • NGK PFR6Q
  • NGK PFR7S8EG (VW replaced the Bosch with these, Part No. 06H 905 601 A)

2. Tried the Denso Iridiums. Didn't work out. The 1.1mm gap is too large, so it fouled up immediately and started to misfire (even adjusting the gap before installing)

3. 60K assumes double platinum plugs. I usually replace at 30k

4. Anti-seize is recommended to prevent seizing. A siezed plug is not fun to replace and then use a retapping kit to fix it...
 
#7 ·
Thanks, DH. The info on the Denso Iridiums not working out is especially helpful. I seriously considered those, now I'm glad I didn't! A poster on the VWVortex board who drives a 2008 2.0 mentioned, "My car rejected the Denso Iridium SK20PR-L11 plugs" without elaborating. So you're not alone in the skip-the-iridium viewpoint, at least for Densos.

It's interesting that not everyone agrees on anti-seize compound. I'm very hesitant to NOT use it; seized plugs are about as much fun as raccoons in your attic, and I can still recall a plug that looked like a ceramic-free pretzel after wrestling it out of my mom's 1970 Mercury. But Porsche says don't use it on any of their engines (the grease may act as an electrical insulator; Porsche Technical Bulletin 9102, Group 2, identifier 2870), and NGK says USE grease if your new plugs have a "dull or blackened" finish, but to AVOID grease if your plugs have a "shiny silver" finish (grease may cause you to overtighten the plugs; type "NGKSP-0907-1" and "NGK trivalent blackened" into Google). A black finish would suggest a cheap iron oxide coating, whereas silver would suggest a better zinc plating, while silver/gold suggests a superior nickel plating. Perhaps using grease -- but sparingly -- is the answer. Repair manuals show photos of grease being BRUSHED onto plug threads, but applying it with your fingertips instead while rolling the plug in your hand will swipe excess grease off the threads, leaving just a thin coat down in the thread cuts. And using a grease specifically intended for spark plugs might be a good idea, readily found at auto parts stores in small 4-gram packets, such as Permatex #09975, VersaChem #13111, or American Grease "AGS" #TMK-1.