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[Cheshley]

Hiya, new to the site and this is the first question because it's the thing that needs doing first.

I have a set of glow plugs that my mechanic wants £70 to fit because he says the inlet manifold needs to come off.  Is this a job that a complete mechanical numpty such as myself could attempt?  Is there anything I should be looking out for or any other jobs I should be doing while the manifold is off?

Ta muchly

[andyiow]

I have changed mine about 3 years ago and between me and my nieghbour it took us about 5 hrs to do along with plenty of swearing etc.

To me provided he does only charge £70 I think its a pretty good price.

[Pitchfork]

I have changed mine about 3 years ago and between me and my nieghbour it took us about 5 hrs to do along with plenty of swearing etc.

To me provided he does only charge £70 I think its a pretty good price.

Agreed!!

[Dazzler]

A bargin i feel

[Cheshley]

I feel that some clarification is in order here because the focus of the replies (much appreciated replies as they are) appears to be the money.

This is not a financially motivated question, what I am trying to find out is, in the spirit of getting stuck in, getting my hands dirty and finding out how my car works, as well as spending a few welcome hours out of the way of 'the other half', is taking the manifold off so I can change the plugs myself something that a mechanical novice such as myself should be attempting???

[Pitchfork]

On the basis that it took andyiow 5 hrs with assistance & that the mechanic who maintains my traktor considers the job a pain even with his experience, skills & access to any tool that maybe required, I would suggest that such a task DIY, although educational would probably be the only time that you ever had to do it, unless of course you fit cheap plugs that are sold on e-bay in which case you would probably have to replace them again sooner rather than later.
I would suggest that you fit a good brand. That's what I did at a cost of £11 ea in the knowledge that they would last for a considerable time

[Cheshley]

I have seen many posts on the forum that stress the importance of buying 'the right plugs'.  I don't know what plugs are in the car but I've had it for just on 2 years and it's only just started showing signs of struggling to start.  The plugs I have were actually in the glove box when I bought it and the garage owner said he just left them there because they are of more use to the car's new owner than him.  They are made by FAI auto parts if this means something to anyone?  If these aren't up to the job, does anyone have any recommendations?

[osealy]

I changed mine. It's an awfull job. Pay the guy.
If you replace the manifold gasket it gets expensive, I didn't.

I found there wasn't enough clearance to get the inlet off the bolts,

Two of the plugs fractured & I broke the Eye connector off the loom, a pain to solder back on.

All except the front two can be done with inlet in situ.

Iirc opel wanted Eu800 inc parts.

Pay the guy.

[keith2.2]

done this on a friends 325tds (same engine) - the answers have been financially based because it's a price thats worth paying to save you the (vast) hassle. If it were £150, then it might be worth considering yourself.

If you want to spend the day on it then why not - just make sure you've scoped out the job first and know what you're going to need. Also worth having a car available should you need any other bits.

If you just want to get to know the car a bit more, try cleaning out the induction hosing and breathers. They'll all be full of oil and you'll get a performance and milage benefit from it.

my 2p!

[FRE07962128]

done this on a friends 325tds (same engine) - the answers have been financially based because it's a price thats worth paying to save you the (vast) hassle. If it were £150, then it might be worth considering yourself.

If you want to spend the day on it then why not - just make sure you've scoped out the job first and know what you're going to need. Also worth having a car available should you need any other bits.

If you just want to get to know the car a bit more, try cleaning out the induction hosing and breathers. They'll all be full of oil and you'll get a performance and milage benefit from it.

my 2p!

I agree!  £70 is WELL worth it to avoid this type of hassle.  Just ensure it is a quote NOT an estimate, and it is NOt for each plug!  Lizzie Zoom

[Pitchfork]

I have seen many posts on the forum that stress the importance of buying 'the right plugs'.  I don't know what plugs are in the car but I've had it for just on 2 years and it's only just started showing signs of struggling to start.  The plugs I have were actually in the glove box when I bought it and the garage owner said he just left them there because they are of more use to the car's new owner than him.  They are made by FAI auto parts if this means something to anyone?  If these aren't up to the job, does anyone have any recommendations?

The ones to get are manufactured by Beru
These are the OEM suppliers to BMW
They cost about £11 each but look at all the advice about the hassle involved in fitting them & avoid further early failures!
Buy half a dozen & give them to your Mechanic, afterwards ask for the old ones back & hopefully you will get them in the Beru boxes as proof that he did in fact fit them & not substitute some other cheaper ones

[Cheshley]

If you just want to get to know the car a bit more, try cleaning out the induction hosing and breathers. They'll all be full of oil and you'll get a performance and milage benefit from it.

my 2p!

A t the risk of sounding like a complete plank, where are the induction hosing and breathers?  

[DaveMarshall]

£70 sounds a fair price to me, i'd just let him do the job.

[Omegatoy]

sorry guys but with it taking 30mins to get the inlet off and then a further 30 to change the glow plugs i feel its slightly overpriced,
and i dont think its a difficult job really certainly no more difficult than removing the plenums form a v6 anyway,
so all in all 50quid sounds nearer the mark to me?
Omegatoy

[Mr Skrunts]

Mine had just been done before I bought the car 18 months ago.  Yhe cost was £65 then.

But one thing I would condsider now after a quote to do the rocker cover gaskets for £50 +Vat and Plus parts.  I would certainly have have the plugs replaced at the same time.