How long should the plugs last on a 1.8 T, The reason Im asking is I have had a couple of hesitations at about 5500 rpm when accelerating hard. (is their any other way )

It has been suggested that it might be the plugs nearing the end of their life, the cars mapped fairly agresivly & the theory is that the amount of fuel thats thrown in at that point might be "washing out the weakened spark".

The cars done 33000 & has had all the standard services & I cant remember seeing plugs on the service sheet so I guess they are still the original ones.

How long should the plugs last on a 1.8 T' date=' The reason Im asking is I have had a couple of hesitations at about 5500 rpm when accelerating hard. (is their any other way )

It has been suggested that it might be the plugs nearing the end of their life, the cars mapped fairly agresivly & the theory is that the amount of fuel thats thrown in at that point might be "washing out the weakened spark".

The cars done 33000 & has had all the standard services & I cant remember seeing plugs on the service sheet so I guess they are still the original ones.[/quote']

If they are the same Platinum plugs as used in my seat Leon Cupra, fitted with an "AUQ" 1.8T, they are changed at 40K.

Stu

Yep 40k. When mine were changed at the first 40k they made a tremendous difference - mpg improved by about 2. I've just changed them again ahead of time (74k) as I'm still struggling with the misfire problem I've had for nearly a year now. Early days but the car does seem smoother again.

They are 32.34 inc VAT for a new set from your dealer. Do it! Unless you prefer to wait until the 40k service - not sure how quickly you will get there...

Just an aside, how easy is it to remove the sparks in the 1.8T?

On my previous car (a Cavalier Sri), I found cleaning them occassionally with a wire brush did wonders also.

Is the panel filter easy to remove/clean also (something else that helped )?

Big Rich

Undo 4 plastic screws and remove engine cover. Depending on engine type, removal of the coilpacks is either 2x5mm Allen screws or (not sure) on the newer ones. You need a long reach plug socket for the plugs which live under the coilpacks down tight bores - they're the small hex type. I've got a natty little T-bar job my Da bought me as a birthday present. It lives in the boot as all my other cars have normal sized plugs.

Update - the misfire seeeeeems to have gone (touching wood, crossing fingers etc.)