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[Lizzie Zoom]

Now I know for many of the male piston heads on here I am going to seem like a silly, very silly, woman

I have had a car since 1970, servicing my private vehicles and arranging my company owned ones being regularly serviced.  I have, I think if my memory is not letting me down, replaced the plugs at about 40,000 miles, so twice a year at least, to get the best performance.

With my private cars, especially with then Senator and all the Omega’s, I have changed them every major service, so about 15,000 miles to, once more, get the best level of performance.

Now today, feeling a little bored in these retirement, not the best of health years, I looked up on  Google when you should change them.  There it was in print a heading statement, and in other entries, every 100,000 to 120,000 miles they should be changed. WHAT??

I have never left it that long, even with my very high mileage company cars, and certainly never with my private ones.  So that means for most standard mileage motorists doing the average 7 - 10,000 miles per year, would never change the plugs before selling their car on or scrapping it!!

I just cannot believe it, after my 54 years of driving, that plugs can be realiable after all that time/mileage.  But maybe I have for all those years been too cautious with my spark plugs!!

What do you think is the right time to change them and do?

[Field Marshal Dr. Opti]

Now I know for many of the male piston heads on here I am going to seem like a silly, very silly, woman

I have had a car since 1970, servicing my private vehicles and arranging my company owned ones being regularly serviced.  I have, I think if my memory is not letting me down, replaced the plugs at about 40,000 miles, so twice a year at least, to get the best performance.

With my private cars, especially with then Senator and all the Omega’s, I have changed them every major service, so about 15,000 miles to, once more, get the best level of performance.

Now today, feeling a little bored in these retirement, not the best of health years, I looked up on  Google when you should change them.  There it was in print a heading statement, and in other entries, every 100,000 to 120,000 miles they should be changed. WHAT??

I have never left it that long, even with my very high mileage company cars, and certainly never with my private ones.  So that means for most standard mileage motorists doing the average 7 - 10,000 miles per year, would never change the plugs before selling their car on or scrapping it!!

I just cannot believe it, after my 54 years of driving, that plugs can be realiable after all that time/mileage.  But maybe I have for all those years been too cautious with my spark plugs!!

What do you think is the right time to change them and do?

Not sure about the Omega Lizzie.

I do know that the mighty Signum should have it's plugs changed at 80,000 miles. She is currently just shy of 97,000 miles and they have never been changed.

The front 3 are a piece of piss to change but the rear 3 are a pig to get to.

[Field Marshal Dr. Opti]

......and she has 6 individual coil packs...

Unlike the 135 and 246 coil packs found on the Omega.

[Doctor Gollum]

My Omegas and subsequent Vectras I used to do every 20k along with the air filter. But that was as much because the parts were cheap than they necessarily needed doing and they used to get oil changes every 10k regardless (they were all used as taxis though). Now my cars get an oil change when I get them and I will gradually work through the rest of the various service items over time.

40k isn't unreasonable, but don't forget that most service schedules are designed to minimise servicing costs within the warranty period to satisfy fleet managers and lease companies

So a car with a 60k warranty might only require three oil changes although you would be insane to do that on a privately owned car.

Sure tolerances have improved over time, similarly fluid characteristics, but the ever increasing engine failure rates are as much about ridiculous maintenance intervals as poor design.

[Doctor Gollum]

Now I know for many of the male piston heads on here I am going to seem like a silly, very silly, woman

I have had a car since 1970, servicing my private vehicles and arranging my company owned ones being regularly serviced.  I have, I think if my memory is not letting me down, replaced the plugs at about 40,000 miles, so twice a year at least, to get the best performance.

With my private cars, especially with then Senator and all the Omega’s, I have changed them every major service, so about 15,000 miles to, once more, get the best level of performance.

Now today, feeling a little bored in these retirement, not the best of health years, I looked up on  Google when you should change them.  There it was in print a heading statement, and in other entries, every 100,000 to 120,000 miles they should be changed. WHAT??

I have never left it that long, even with my very high mileage company cars, and certainly never with my private ones.  So that means for most standard mileage motorists doing the average 7 - 10,000 miles per year, would never change the plugs before selling their car on or scrapping it!!

I just cannot believe it, after my 54 years of driving, that plugs can be realiable after all that time/mileage.  But maybe I have for all those years been too cautious with my spark plugs!!

What do you think is the right time to change them and do?

Not sure about the Omega Lizzie.

I do know that the mighty Signum should have it's plugs changed at 80,000 miles. She is currently just shy of 97,000 miles and they have never been changed.

The front 3 are a piece of piss to change but the rear 3 are a pig to get to.

That's how you know the engine is fitted wrong

[Lizzie Zoom]

My Omegas and subsequent Vectras I used to do every 20k along with the air filter. But that was as much because the parts were cheap than they necessarily needed doing and they used to get oil changes every 10k regardless (they were all used as taxis though). Now my cars get an oil change when I get them and I will gradually work through the rest of the various service items over time.

40k isn't unreasonable, but don't forget that most service schedules are designed to minimise servicing costs within the warranty period to satisfy fleet managers and lease companies

So a car with a 60k warranty might only require three oil changes although you would be insane to do that on a privately owned car.

Sure tolerances have improved over time, similarly fluid characteristics, but the ever increasing engine failure rates are as much about ridiculous maintenance intervals as poor design.

Ah, that is reassuring DG.  I have not been too far out then, or entering a mad dream when what I have believed is ridiculous or completely stupid!!

[Lizzie Zoom]

Now I know for many of the male piston heads on here I am going to seem like a silly, very silly, woman

I have had a car since 1970, servicing my private vehicles and arranging my company owned ones being regularly serviced.  I have, I think if my memory is not letting me down, replaced the plugs at about 40,000 miles, so twice a year at least, to get the best performance.

With my private cars, especially with then Senator and all the Omega’s, I have changed them every major service, so about 15,000 miles to, once more, get the best level of performance.

Now today, feeling a little bored in these retirement, not the best of health years, I looked up on  Google when you should change them.  There it was in print a heading statement, and in other entries, every 100,000 to 120,000 miles they should be changed. WHAT??

I have never left it that long, even with my very high mileage company cars, and certainly never with my private ones.  So that means for most standard mileage motorists doing the average 7 - 10,000 miles per year, would never change the plugs before selling their car on or scrapping it!!

I just cannot believe it, after my 54 years of driving, that plugs can be realiable after all that time/mileage.  But maybe I have for all those years been too cautious with my spark plugs!!

What do you think is the right time to change them and do?

Not sure about the Omega Lizzie.

I do know that the mighty Signum should have it's plugs changed at 80,000 miles. She is currently just shy of 97,000 miles and they have never been changed.

The front 3 are a piece of piss to change but the rear 3 are a pig to get to.

Just like the passenger side rear on the Omega. I have often had to swear out loud as I have struggled to find just the right length of plug extraction tool to get to it, and then to put it back without buggering up the threads!

[GastronomicKleptomaniac]

To put it back, get a length of rubber hose that fits snugly on the top, then feed it in and it'll spin in if the thread's lined up.

I think it was Addy of this parish that taught me that one.

[Nick W]

I do them every other annual oil change, unless it hasn't done many miles. So they never do much more than 20k miles. NGK or Bosch plugs.

[Field Marshal Dr. Opti]

Speaking of spark plugs my old 2 stroke bikes went through them very quickly.

My old Yamaha RD250 could destroy a brand new plug in less than 100 miles.

[Nick W]

Speaking of spark plugs my old 2 stroke bikes went through them very quickly.

My old Yamaha RD250 could destroy a brand new plug in less than 100 miles.

We were messing about with 2-stokes when platinum plugs became readily available. If you combined them with synthetic oil, plug life became almost acceptable

[Field Marshal Dr. Opti]

Speaking of spark plugs my old 2 stroke bikes went through them very quickly.

My old Yamaha RD250 could destroy a brand new plug in less than 100 miles.

We were messing about with 2-stokes when platinum plugs became readily available. If you combined them with synthetic oil, plug life became almost acceptable

I holed one of the pistons on my RD250....

Not sure if I was running the wrong plugs and a hot spot developed. It looked very neat when the head was removed.

[Lizzie Zoom]

To put it back, get a length of rubber hose that fits snugly on the top, then feed it in and it'll spin in if the thread's lined up.

I think it was Addy of this parish that taught me that one.

Good one, thanks

[Andy B]

......
The front 3 are a piece of piss to change but the rear 3 are a pig to get to.

Just like the passenger side rear on the Omega. I have often had to swear out loud as I have struggled to find just the right length of plug extraction tool to get to it, and then to put it back without buggering up the threads!

they are easy compared to the lower 3 plugs on a Smart Roadster .... all the back end of the car needs to come off to do them 

[Raeturbo]

Speaking of spark plugs my old 2 stroke bikes went through them very quickly.

My old Yamaha RD250 could destroy a brand new plug in less than 100 miles.

We were messing about with 2-stokes when platinum plugs became readily available. If you combined them with synthetic oil, plug life became almost acceptable

I holed one of the pistons on my RD250....

Not sure if I was running the wrong plugs and a hot spot developed. It looked very neat when the head was removed.

.   
       
              Yes I holed a piston in my first Evo at Dodington track many years ago I was running higher boost and should have dropped a grade on the plugs.  (Should have had it mapped too🤣).  Those were the days