40k Service

[MickTS]

Hello just got my 40,000 done and spark plugs were replaced,car now is more responsive in higher gears

[Twincam.GTi]

I do hope they weren't the original spark plugs

[dvdmeister]

If he's doing everything by the Toyota service schedule then they probably were the originals! My user manual says that for Corollas of my generation (its a 2001 car), the plugs are only changed every 40k/4years. I've read somewhere that they have such a long change interval because they use those weirdo multielectrode plugs, which are crapper than single electrode plugs in terms of power (since the spark isn't well exposed to the combustion mixture) but last a lot longer (as one eletrode wears down, the spark uses one of the others).

Or am I talking out of my **** here?

[Twincam.GTi]

Oh right, but for a performance vehicle why don't they just say 12000, 12months and be done with it with normal plugs?

Also for a plug to remain in for 4 years/40,000 mile could risk 'seizing' in!

[dvdmeister]

Its a bit daft I agree - especially considering that decent single electrode plugs cost less than a tenner for a set of 4 at the absolute worst (possibly a set could be under a fiver depending on which ones you go for).

It seems even more strange when according to my manual, the brake fluid is changed every 20k/2yrs, the coolant every 24k/2yrs, and the air filter every 30k/3yrs - even the air con filter is changed every 20k/2yrs! Maybe they are labour intensive to change on the VVTi/VVTiL engines but I can't see how

Maybe one of the members who works for a dealer could shed some light :)

[pb5]

Mick TS,

How much did the service cost then?

Pb

[Snert]

I do hope they weren't the original spark plugs

←

Yep, they would have been. They are Iridium spark plugs, I found this for you

"Iridium Spark Plugs

Iridium spark plugs, which are available for select Toyota models, have several benefits:

A smaller center electrode and promoting higher performance.

Iridium is a more durable material than platinum (its melting point is approximately 1,200° F higher than platinum).

And Iridium spark plugs last longer than conventional spark plugs. (Up to 110,000 miles.)

Maintain the Quality of Your Toyota -- Always Use Genuine Toyota Spark Plugs"

You do not want to know how much a set of these things cost :censor:

Snert