For pretty much their entire line including the 4 cylinders, V6 Turbos, and flat sixes, they require a 30k/4yr (40k for a few) interval while most other manufacturers are doing anywhere between double to 100k mile intervals. I believe when they share the same engine with Audi (2019+ Macan S) they do shorter plug intervals. I don’t think it’s a money making scheme since they recommend 10k mile oil changes which ironically I prefer doing at 5k.
Just bitching because I’m not looking forward to doing the plugs on my car soon. Have to remove an upper engine mount, air boxes, and reservoirs to get to the plugs in the back.
You should see the RX-8! Service manual says 35k miles. Most people go 20k. And that’s “just a Mazda”
I run a tuned GTI and I have to change plugs every 5k-10k mi. 30k sounds nice.
My MR2 calls for iridiums that are supposed to last 100k. It gets a new set of NGK coppers every year.
If the gap in the plugs is stable and they aren’t full of deposits, just change them at a longer interval. There’s no reason to change them until they actually have something wrong with them.
In some very high performance motorcycles you see the ground straps fatigue and fall off, but I doubt that’s the case for a low revving, relatively low stress car engine.
To sell more insanely priced parts
Because that’s when they should be done. The other manufacturers are trying “lower price to own”.
Porsche recommends it to keep the plugs from seizing. At least that what I’ve heard on the 981 forums.
Fiat 500 engines (1.4 MultiAir, at least the turbo one) has 30,000mi intervals. Also, the valvetrain system uses electrohydraulically-actuated intake valves (created from oil pressure). To protect this complicated valvetrain system, a mini oil filter (MultiAir filter) needs to be changed along with the spark plugs every 30,000mi. Neglect of these two parts is a huge reason why these engines prematurely fail, in addition to typical Fiat build quality issues.
It’s likely their oem plugs are a few steps colder than most regular manufacturers and “colder” rated plugs don’t get hot enough to burn off carbon deposits like normal spark plugs, so they foul up much faster
My Arteon, along with the Golf R, require new plugs at 40k. I think VAG and Porsche are pushing the plugs to perform more for a shorter life span.
The 1gr (4.0) tacoma is 30k miles. Wasted spark setup, so 2 fires every rotation.
Might be for emission standards. In the seventies I worked on Alfa Romeos we had to Use Lodge spark Plugs at about $15.00 each ( champions were about a $1.50 ) customers complained but we had to use lodge in order to make the cars emission legal.
It’s a VAG thing….
The FI vehicle requires good spark delivery to keep from knocking as well as on higher psi vehicles there’s the ability to blown out spark causing knock. Also esp on flat layout motors they serve as a slight heat sink helping pull heat out of the combustion chamber. Heat that also can cause knock. Just change the plugs dude.
Better than mine.
My GT3 interval was 10k kms. Seemed ludicrous but I imagine things need to be pretty exact at 9k rpm.