redrocker55

Hey Guys,

I'm at 36,000 miles and I wanted something to do on my car this weekend so I decided to change the spark plugs. Here are some pics of the old ones I took out and the replacements.

The job is not very difficult at all. There are 2 screws on top of the radiator overflow tank you remove so you can hold the tank out of the way to access the plugs on the drivers side of the car.

On the passenger side you simply remove the top of the air filter and loosen the box from the grommets holding it in at the bottom and the inside of the fender.

I don't think the plugs looked to bad. You can see some wear on the platinum electrode. The new plugs gap was just under .30 (maybe .28). The old plugs measured at just over .30 (maybe .31).

I confirmed with 2 different dealers that the plugs are pre-gapped. I measured each plug before I installed them and they all measured exactly the same.

Since I had the air filter box removed I decided to go ahead and replace the air filter.

I'm taking a long trip this week. I'm curious to see if the slightly bumpy idle is gone and if the MPG's change at all. Not expecting much of a difference...but I'm going to be looking for changes any way.

One other item I found interesting...the original plugs were NKG's while the Audi/VW branded box the new plugs came in that I purchased from the dealership are now made by Bosch.

S5nirvana

The old ones looked pretty good. Did you notice any performance improvement with the new plugs?

NWS4Guy

Agreed - If I recall, stock replacement is called for @ 45K anyway, if you have Audicare, doing it at 35K is moot.

redrocker55

Hey Guys,

I have not driven the car yet. I changed the plugs and once I had it all back together I started the car and let it idle for a few minutes just to make sure it was running well.

Then turned it off and started changing diapers for all the kids we have in this house, playing defense and then dodging tornados here in St Louis.

Taking the S4 on the road this week for a 1,200 mile trip. I should have some impressions in the next few days. But like I mentioned in my first post the old plugs didn't look too bad so I'm not expecting much difference. If I notice anything I will post about it.

Based on how they look I would guess the plugs would be good for more than 45,000 miles.

I don't have AudiCare.... if I can't find something to do on one of my cars each weekend something is not right in my world! So this weekend it was investigating the spark plug condition of our 3.0 TFSI at the 36,000 mile mark and sharing with the group.

If I paid for AudiCare it would be a waste for me since I like to do a bunch of this stuff myself.

m444

The 2011 Audi maintenance schedule says 55k miles or 6 years which ever comes first for the S4 3.0T, so it seems, it is Not covered by AudiCare.

For the (A4, A5, Q5, TT, TTS) 2.0T, it states 3 years or 35k miles for spark plug change.

rfogleman

Thanks for the info Redrocker...I am with you on this. I have always changed my plugs before the recommended miles...mainly just for the enjoyment of tinkering with my car. hope you had fun!

B8 S FOR

What about the spark plug wires, rotor etc... ??

redrocker55

The 3.0 TFSI does not use a Rotor. There are Coil Packs that provide the spark. Computer takes care of the timing.

Coil packs are vary reliable. No maintenance to them...either they work or they don't. If they don't and you are getting a miss fire you replace the problematic coil pack.

I have coil packs on my 13 year old car and they are working perfectly.

B8 S FOR

Thanks Redrocker didn't know that! So you just replace the plugs! Nice... and I paid for Audi Care ... duh! Oh well...

Can_I_Haz?

If you dont mind replacing plugs every year, Id recommend copper. They are a better conductor and give a better spark. Platnum is only used to extend service interval. It has zero performance benefit and some high performance engine builders dont like them on boosted cars because they run hot and can trigger detonation on a car tuned on the edge. The iridium are the best of both worlds but still dont conduct like copper. last forever and still good conductivity.

Just wanted to share.