Driving my Golf back from a job yesterday, it suddenly started coughing / missing and carrying on with an engine warning light coming up on the dash. I've never touched the engine on this car, it's been faultless over the last 5 years so I didn't even know where the plugs where screwed in. I spent a bit of time and got the software working on the laptop to read the error codes from the car and all it said was, 'multiple misfires on cylinder one'. I had to open the bonnet for a look.

This is what they have. 

The coil is built in to plug connector so there are 4 of these on top of the engine. The plugs are a long way inside the engine.
 
When they fail, they really fail and actually fall apart. Here's No 1. The stupid thing is a 2 piece device


The second part gets left attached to the spark plug deep in the motor.


Try getting that out on the side of the road. I had to put a screw into it to get something to grab.


Once I got the search terms right it seems this is a common thing on VW's and a new one is $91 here or $200 posted from the US for a set of 4 including a set of new platinum plugs to boot. 

They are becoming quite common nowdays the F650 and 800 have them and my BMW 320i also uses them as do most of the BMW from the early 90s onward. In one respect they are a good thing as you haven't got high voltage around where some goose can fry themself but as usual the drawback is if the gasket fails the hole gets full of oil and if hot is a fire hazzard..

 



I have the same on my Merc and here is a pic of the KTM LC8 engine used in their 990 Adventure bike look at the plug caps "look familier"


BIG D

Are any of those a 2 piece coil pack? The VW one I just picked up is again 2 pieces, the ones I see from the US are one piece so they may fail but they won't break in two. The plug hole had lots of bits of ceramic sitting around the plug. I had to shoot the compressor down the plug hole via some fuel line to blow the rubbish out of there.

It's going again now but with 110K Kms on the clock it might be wise to get a full set from the states. I mean they're only $25 each there not $90.

Personally I'm in favour of them, individual coils per plug that is. 

As long as they are not too model specific ie. same used by many manufacturers/ engines.

Simple, no plug leads to breakdown , only low tension hookup, simple.

By the way Robin, you got a V8 golf?  $200 US?

I would have gone to the wreckers for one.

About $200 for 4 with new plugs including postage. Postage is almost $70 from the US.
I don't know of any wreckers any more. The ones I used to use sold up and the land got subdivided for housing.
I went for a run round the boarder ranges to the south on the week-end. It took an hour just to get out of town and onto country roads. The city is just getting too big these days.

I don't think your problem deserves the Dirty lil' Secret moniker, shit happens.

If you had the DSG transmission however I'd be fully on for Dirty......etc.

Despite widespread problems in recent Golfs, much publicised, they have got away with it!

VW denied there was a problem for over a year, if I recall, long time anyway, SHAME VW!

Best car in it's class? Maybe, but don't expect backup from the "Peoples' car " maker.

RobinW wrote:About $200 for 4 with new plugs including postage. Postage is almost $70 from the US.
I don't know of any wreckers any more. The ones I used to use sold up and the land got subdivided for housing.
I went for a run round the boarder ranges to the south on the week-end. It took an hour just to get out of town and onto country roads. The city is just getting too big these days.

Thats why I moved up here. The only reason so many people live there is that the whole joint sucks and it's hard to escape the pull of the vacuum.

My 2002 A4 had a recall on them. Replaced free