Hello

My 1997 Skoda Felicia 1.3 LXi started to misfire last week, and has got steadily worse. I looked under the bonnet and saw sparks arching from the ignition coil. Mechanic told me that I needed a new coil.

I got a replacement coil today, but it wasn't until I had taken off the damaged coil that I noticed that they are ever so lightly different:

* New part is slightly larger

* There is the Skoda, VW, Seat and Audi badges on it, rather than just the Skoda badge

* The black points that cover the spark plugs are slightly different.

* The conenction is rounded on one end, not rectangular-sprung like on origional

* Wires going in are in a different order

ORIGIONAL

1 = green

2 = red

3 = grey & orange

4 = brown

NEW

1 = red

2 = green

3 = grey & orange

4 = brown

Can I match the colours or match the numbers?

Help please, as I'm not going anywhere until its sorted!

Well after a few minutes with torch, knife, and terminal block I wired up the new ignition coil. I also swapped the rubber "hoods"(?) that fit over the spark plugs and contain a spring from the old part to the new one. I went by number order, so that 1 =1 , 2=2, etc... but the engine only turned over and did not fire. So I swapped 1 and 2 so that 1 = 2 and 2 = 1 (although the colours and core thicknesses matched) and it works a treat!

Thank you all for your help and advice. I would have taken the part back when I noticed it was not identical, but not sure how you go about getting your money back from a breakers yard! And for just over £30 I got it sorted, rather than paying a lot more at a garage!

Could have been worse tho - some garages charge you £100s of pounds to plug in a computer, and that don't always yield results! Hoorah for old(er) cars!