Bosch Platinum Plugs Vs. NGK

I just bought some Bosch Platinum plugs for my CR-V (2003) at a good price.
($13.58 CD for 4) I know the manual recommends NGK. Is it okay to put the
Bosch Platinum, or will I be disappointed? Also, when should plugs be
changed? (I have 48,000 KMs on it.)

Thank you,

Nino

 

Bosch plugs typically don't work as well in Hondas as OEM plugs like NGK.

 

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Bosch plugs have to be changed whenever I find them in a Honda. Canadian
Tire sells NGK.

'Curly'

 

No kidding. Botched® plugs should be replaced whenever/wherever they're
found.

Yeah? In a box, or in a blister card? And do they sell the pre-gapped
platinums? I couldn't find any last time I checked. Hadda buy my
BCPR5EP-11s from NAPA. Almost twenty bucks a plug, they were.

 

forget the platinums man - go for the iridiums...

actually, i use them and they're nice plugs. last forever and always
fire well.

 

Maybe next year. Denso iridiums are cadmium-plated to prevent
corrosion-welding of the threads in 100K applications.

 

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Funny you should ask, I just put them in tonight. I put that copper
paste on the threads too.

Canadian Tire blister-packed NGK Platinums, ZFR5FGP (18-3650-4) I think
they were about $8 per pair. Bought them two months ago. I hope they
were pre-gapped. They LOOKED right

'Curly'

 

Absolutely! Forget the standard platinums and go for the Iridium. About
$8 a piece at NAPA.

One thing about the NGK-IX. These are not the 105K mile plugs. I think
the change interval is something like 30-50K mile, but I won't use the
plats to the full 105K anyways.

 

The 120K iridiums have thicker center electrodes (.7mm) and platinum
ground pads. I wouldn't run regular iridiums to 120K. Make sure to pick
the right plugs from the catalog.

 

I pulled out a set of bosche platinums after they were in the car for 45K
miles. They looked like they could have gone another 45K miles.

 

Bosch platinums are supposed to work well and reach self cleaning
temperatures fast. But they are not for waste spark ignition systems
because the metal transfer from the ground to the center electrode
fouls the plug.

If they work for you, by all means go for it. It's economical, the
Bosch x2 is about the price of the NGK G-Power platinum plugs. Never
tried Bosch plats, just that I personally have a preference for NGK
Iridiums.

 

hopefully bosch have their act together a bit better these days, but
back in the day when all my cars had contact breakers, i had several
occasions where bosch plugs badly let me down.

one day a car worked. next, it wouldn't start. first time this
happened, cleaned plugs, still no start. replaced plugs with non-bosch,
fired up first time. put the old bosch plugs back in in case it was
just a flooding problem, still no start. and i've had that experience
several times on different vehicles over the years that have come with
bosch already installed. every time, replacement fixed the problem.
frankly, i'll never waste my time with bosch ever again. ngk otoh will
keep on working till the electrodes are burnt to little melted stubs.
unless ngk are absolutely unavailable for some reason, i see no earthly
to use anything else.

 

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Exactly, and yet people buy entire cars that are full of Botched®
components (vw).

Luckily I didn't make that mistake for long.

About six years ago I got a used '95 golf GTI. The owner had just spent
about $550 on fixing electrical troubles. Then I lurked on the VW
newsgroup. The electrical problems that those people suffer with is
unbelievable!!! I unloaded it before the engine was cold.

'Curly'

 

Last year, a friend of mine spent upwards of $1000 to fix a lot of
electrical glitches in his 2000 Golf TDI. Cheap to refuel, but damn
expensive to fix.

 

the electrical problem in vw is due to lousy understanding of overall
electrical design from vw.
helped someone fixed his vw scirocco mysterious electrical problem once and
could not believe how they have some nice electronics device in the car for
its time but the overall electrical system was a joke in itself.

 

I've noticed that about 100% of all cars under 30 years old that have
a blown taillight are VWs. What is it that VW's are doing? Using
bulbs not designed for automotive use? Putting them into a housing
where they overheat? Using 9V bulbs to get them brighter?

 

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In Canada (where we have DRL's) the newer Volkswagens are driving around
with only one 'eye'. It's away off the scale of probability. I know a
poor sucker who owns a New Beetle. He can't figure out why it keeps
blowing the same headlight over and over and over.

I think it's because he is . . . . 'a poor sucker who owns a New
Beetle'.

'Curly'

 

i just changed the ND plugs in the g/f's 03 tacoma, with 65k miles. just
used the regular $2 ND replacements. the old plugs gap has widened from
1.1mm to closer to 2mm. it was visibly noticeable after 65k miles.

and the truck runs much smoother now, too.

 

ive had that problem with my 81 rabbit 'vert. funny thing was, i bought
bosch thinking they were the best for a german car. go figure!

 

my 81 'vert was nice, when it was running properly. i had it for 7 years
1991-1998, and was ALWAYS fixing something on it. fun car, good handling.

the windshield seal that leaked and caused rain to flood the fusebox was
the last straw, though. i pulled relays out that literally *sloshed*.