BERU spark plugs fitted by main dealer

[adamos]

hi all, hope everyone ok today.
changed the spark plugs today, fitted NGK PLATINUM,
upon removing the old plugs, which were fitted by the main dealer in surrey, i was amazed to find that they had fitted BERU spark plugs, less than a fiver each, not bosch, (not that bosch are great)and this from a main dealer, call me an old cynic, but are all these <edited - MB> the same,
i have a bill for over £800, which was charged to the previous owner for major service.
the more you double check work the more errors are found, it makes a laughing stock of
"FULL PORSCHE SERVICE HISTORY" give me a good "honest" indy any day!!


Edit:
Please don't try to bypass the swear filter - it's there for a reason. Anyway, surely you can express your feelings without resorting to such terms?
- Mark

 

[colinbythesea]

I must admit to despairing at the bodges and overlooked items I am finding on my Boxster which has 8 years worth of regular main dealer receipts for lots of money. I have also despaired at specialists since I have owned the car.

I am going to change my plugs soon any tips? Is it reasonably easy?

 

[adamos]

pedrosgarage.com, step by step guide, tools, pictures, which order to do things,
find this site very handy

 

[Richard_Hamilton]

Bosch and Beru plugs (and coils) are fitted at the factory. Nothing wrong with Beru plugs as far as I can see. Just because they aren't the most expensive plugs in the world doesn't mean they are rubbish.

Edit: the attached is from the workshop manual (early models data).

 

[adamos]

ok firstly SORRY to one and all, should not of been so up tight , yes BERU plugs, can be fitted, but they are the cheaper option, and were charged at a high rate,
ok dealers there to make money, but like most people, if you charged premium, at least get what you pay for.

 

[cd1957]

If you buy spark plugs from a main dealer,then come in a Porsche box and you could have Bosch or Beru plugs inside,they both have the same two year warranty and are the same heat range.

Chris

 

[colinbythesea]

Is the reason one is more expensive than the other of the same spec anything to do with the quality in this modern world. Could it just be a combination of the buying power of the parts supplier, the brand, where you buy it and whether there is a Porsche part number on the box?

My Boxster is a lovely car. However, when I look under the bonnet of my Ford Focus there are lots of Bosch labeled parts and the other bits look well engineered. So how different are these prestigious cars of ours?

I would usually fall for the most expensive part given the choice though.

 

[berty987]

A lot of main dealers from other manufacturers use OEM or alternative suppliers that have similar quality. Not an issue in terms of reliability of the car or performance but a liberty when you consider Porsche refuse warranties on the grounds of non porsche parts being fitted. If they propose you need to pay a premium for a porsche stamped part opposed to an unstamped part from the same or alternative supplier they should fit Porsche parts. The OEM or unstamped part is cheaper so they should charge you less , otherwise in my opinion its fraud as they are charging porsche stamped prices but not porsche stamped parts.
If Beru are one of the oem suppliers for your particular model , then i'd expect the plug to say BERU rather than Porsche , its often only the packaging that sets Porsche and OEM parts apart.

 

[Steve Brookes]

ORIGINAL: adamos

ok firstly SORRY to one and all, should not of been so up tight , yes BERU plugs, can be fitted, but they are the cheaper option, and were charged at a high rate,
ok dealers there to make money, but like most people, if you charged premium, at least get what you pay for.

It's not a case of they CAN be fitted. The dealers HAVE to fit the Porsche AG approved part which is usually Beru for spark plugs on 986 boxsters. Also, the dealers get their stock from Porsche....they're not simply buying directly from Beru and marking them up. All of us can buy Beru plugs directly through a number of specialist parts suppliers if we want to. They might be cheaper that way compared to other makes of plugs but I doubt if they perform any worse (certainly had no problems with them myself).

And yes Colin, fairly easy to change yourself....just undo two allen bolts on each coil pack and pull it off to get to the plugs. Raise the car and appropriate undertrays for access. Still a bit fiddly though and you ideally want a small torque wrench to set them at 22 ft lb if I remember correctly.