By “OEM” did you mean www.realoem.com”? If not, go to that website and enter the last 7 characters of your car’s vehicle identification number. Hit enter and bookmark the page. Scroll down to engine electrical to find the correct part number. Early M54 engines did use coil boots. I believe that changed with the facelift cars.

 

By “OEM” did you mean www.realoem.com”?

Yes, I did, and that's where I found the part number (I plead distracted typing... I have a house full of adults and grandkids for the holiday!)

My question is whether the Bosch is an acceptable substitute for the Delphi. Has anybody had good/bad experiences? realoem.com doesn't indicate boots for my VIN, so I'll assume that was an earlier model issue.

 

Your 2006 325ci vert takes the pencil style coils with integrated boot, which is not sold separately.

BMW 330Ci Ignition Coil Parts | FCP Euro

BMW 330Ci Ignition Coil parts online. Buy OEM & Genuine parts with a Lifetime Warranty, Free Shipping and Unlimited 365 Day Returns.

www.fcpeuro.com

 

There are a lot of analyses that have been done on this. Bosch made the original coils for your car, but subsequent batches of Bosch were substandard, and BMW moved to Delphi, then to Bremi.

Folks will reply that they have 200k on their Bosch, but this is problematic for two reasons:

1. One should replace post-facelift (wide and) sensors at 125k as a maintenance item as the soft fail before they crap out completely
2. Manufacturing economics have radically changed over the past twenty years, and not for the better, so a part from even 5 years ago from the same manufacturer is not comparable. I would not buy new Bosch.

At the time our cars were made, most electric parts were made in Germany or nearby. Manufacturing shifted to places like Poland and other parts of Eastern Europe, then to China. Quality control that was mandated by BMW as a supplier was not mandated for the parts made for the aftermarket, and was largely abandoned in China, so you get big declines in reliability. Companies like Bosch and CRP used to care about their own brands, but consolidation and private equity cost pressures have made that less of a factor.

The “correct” coil to buy now is Eldor. You should get six, if you can swing it.

BMW E46 3-Series Ignition Coil Kit By Eldor OEM 12138657273

We are where the BMW enthusiasts purchase parts like the BMW E46 3-Series Ignition Coil Kit By Eldor OEM "Newest Version" 12138657273. Shop now.

oembimmerparts.com

 

I wouldn't recommend either the Bosch or the Delphi currently on the market.
The Bosch lasted maybe 40k miles- and then did, indeed start soft failing.
The Delphi I replaced them with the other day said Made in China right on
the box, which was never an OEM answer.

The Eldor are no more expensive- but I have no experience with them.
One caution is that what goes to a manufacturer in boxes of 144 stacked
into crates of 30 boxes is often NOT the same product that gets individually
boxed and shipped by the dozen to auto parts resellers...

After I saw the coo mark on the Delphi, I said, out loud,
"Awww, dammit. I guess it's Bremi, next time"
But I haven't tried them. Other Bremi products have been good, historically.

t
underimpressed.

 

A few weeks back I had a misfire issue (cylinder 5) with my 325Ci. Smoke test passed, it turned out to be a failing spark coil. Jump forward to today, almost 600 miles later, and the problem is back, this time with a different cylinder (#6). I'm considering replacing all the coils as PM. I've gone through some posts here, and I have a fairly good idea of how to replace them.

Going to www.realoem.com, I get the current part number, but it doesn't indicate a separate boot. When I go to bimmerworld.com and search, I get two replacements: Delphi and Bosch.
Coil Search Results

Replacing all six coils means the Delphi will cost about $100 more. And if I read the listing correctly, the photo(s) show these do not need me to purchase a separate boot or locking mechanism.

So my questions: Am I missing something here? And is there a reason to not get Bosch and save the $100?

Thanks, everybody!

With the varying degrees of experiences from various brands nowadays- the only thing you can control is WHERE you buy parts from.In my case I buy Bosch from FCP for 2 E46 s.when these craps out - I can warranty exchange them anytime.No I don't even worry where they are made -Germany Turkey China Taiwan or Vietnam.

 

Where the part is made can make a huge difference. Taiwan, Eastern Europe, and Germany have higher quality control that China. It really does matter.

I have used Eldor exclusively since 2018, and have maintained 5 e46s. Eldor aren’t cost prohibitive, so why not?

But fair enough on FCP

 

@Bali, @burntoutrubber, @TobyB, @docnabimmer, thank you all!

As far as the Eldor, the price for 6 is less than I've found for the Delphi or Bosch. My plans are to order a full set. This car has had a rough life, and catching up the maintenance has been a learning experience to say the least. Having already replaced one coil and another fail, I'm just going to replace them all and (hopefully) never deal with them again.

BTW, a little side humor: I have three married, adult children and 4 grandchildren. Everybody is at my house for Easter. Last night my adult children put the grands to bed, then started an all-night "Lord of the Rings" movie marathon. So now this morning, when I read "Eldor coils" I'm hearing it as being spoken by hobbits with English accents!

 

@Bali, @burntoutrubber, @TobyB, @docnabimmer, thank you all!

As far as the Eldor, the price for 6 is less than I've found for the Delphi or Bosch. My plans are to order a full set. This car has had a rough life, and catching up the maintenance has been a learning experience to say the least. Having already replaced one coil and another fail, I'm just going to replace them all and (hopefully) never deal with them again.

BTW, a little side humor: I have three married, adult children and 4 grandchildren. Everybody is at my house for Easter. Last night my adult children put the grands to bed, then started an all-night "Lord of the Rings" movie marathon. So now this morning, when I read "Eldor coils" I'm hearing it as being spoken by hobbits with English accents!

I thought the same thing!!! The “coils of eldor”

 

I just installed the Bosch 0221504800 today. They are on sale at Amazon for $19 a piece. They say made in Slovenia.

 

Yeah, that's what soft- failed in the 325xit after roughly 40k miles...

t

 

A few weeks back I had a misfire issue (cylinder 5) with my 325Ci. Smoke test passed, it turned out to be a failing spark coil. Jump forward to today, almost 600 miles later, and the problem is back, this time with a different cylinder (#6). I'm considering replacing all the coils as PM. I've gone through some posts here, and I have a fairly good idea of how to replace them.

Going to www.realoem.com, I get the current part number, but it doesn't indicate a separate boot. When I go to bimmerworld.com and search, I get two replacements: Delphi and Bosch.
Coil Search Results

Replacing all six coils means the Delphi will cost about $100 more. And if I read the listing correctly, the photo(s) show these do not need me to purchase a separate boot or locking mechanism.

So my questions: Am I missing something here? And is there a reason to not get Bosch and save the $100?

Thanks, everybody!

Cool is a cool, generally. Replace them all if ur over 100K and one fails.

 

An update from Galdalf’s Garage:

This morning I parted the covers of beauty and gazed upon the old Coils. And what a knavish, random lot they were! The eldest hailed from Delphi, but had obviously led a hard life. To either side were of the Bosch clan, but their tubular garb was spotted in many places by rust. The remaining three were churlish fools, ashamed of their origins and bearing no marks of their homeland.

The sight of these despicable fools angered me! “YOU SHALL NOT STAY!” I grabbed their collars and tossed them away. Then catching my breath (for my left arm still ached from its injury) I summoned the Coils of Eldor to take their places. As each Eldor took it’s place, I marveled at the difference between the new, vaunted ones and their knavish predecessors! The Coils of Eldor pleased me with their solid build and pride.

With the Coils of Eldor in place, we started our expedition through the Ouachita Mountains. First, we tried our patience as we idled in place for five minutes to assure each Coil of its proper place in the order. Then we left for a short expedition. The sun was warm but not hot, the breeze fine and relaxing, and before we realized it, nearly 40 miles had elapsed! Sadly, we turned back to the Garage, but without the Balm of SPF, I knew my time in the sun and breeze had reached its end.

 

"Not all who misfire are lost"

 

Mine said 'Made in Slovenia' right on them...

They came from RockAuto, so as to whether that's a real Slovenia
or a knock- off Slovenia, though, I wouldn't wager. RockAuto's better than
ePay or BezosLand, but it wouldn't astound me if they occasionally
ended up with fakes...

t

 

Mine said 'Made in Slovenia' right on them...

They came from RockAuto, so as to whether that's a real Slovenia
or a knock-off Slovenia, though, I wouldn't wager. RockAuto's better than
ePay or BezosLand, but it wouldn't astound me if they occasionally
ended up with fakes...

t

I recommend against rock auto because it is the lottery. You may get genuine or some total crap. They are an odd-lot retailer by now, buying excess inventory from suppliers as well as general inventory.

My issue with buying new parts on eBay, RockAuto or Amazon is not that you can't get good parts, it is that you have no guarantee that what you are buying is any good, either because it is crap aftermarket or counterfeit.

And in the case of Amazon, any genuine part is often more expensive than the specialist retailers because the cost for third parties to sell there is so high.

 

I buy quite a bit of 'less important' stuff from RockAuto, and what arrives is marked as advertised.

If I order 'Cooling Expert' that's what shows up.
If I order 'Bosch' then the box and the parts show up marked that way, with no obvious forgeries.

Of course, Caveat Emptor applies today more than ever, given 'Global Supply Chains"
("we throw it all in a container and ship it out!")

I was rather surprised when the coils really did turn out to be non- functioning, as I wasn't expecting that
at 40k.

t

 

The "look test" is not adequate any more. Buy from suppliers that take care of their supply chain and stand by the products.

3 automotive parts suppliers charged with selling counterfeit replacement parts

The defendants and their co-conspirators deceptively packaged aftermarket automotive parts.

www.ice.gov

"Caveat emptor" is an astonishingly bad idea, and it is not surprising that the Romans coined it - it essentially places all commercial responsibility on the person least able to assume it, the consumer. The fact that many of us learned the phrase watching "The Brady Bunch" should indicate its intellectual seriousness.

There is no conceivable way in the modern economy to evaluate everything you buy. We don't have the tools, time, or professional experience.

We have to trust intermediaries to "beware" on our behalf, and those three brands have demonstrated that it is not in their interest to do so. Amazon is the most noteworthy. Support people who take care of people.

 

We have to trust intermediaries

...and what I'm saying is that there are so many intermediaries these days that
it's getting pretty common to find bad eggs in nests that were formerly very trustworthy.

And worst of all, sometimes sporadically.

Again, RockAuto is far better than ePay or BezozLand. I do stand by that, from experience.

t

 

Once again it's NOT where the part is made but the originating company, Bosch, Delphi etc etc, squeezing the profit margin by reducing the quality of the components and materials being used to make the parts. Sure the Chinese knock offs of parts are going to be of lower quality but the reason for lower quality parts from 'decent' brand name companies is entirely down to the brand name company screwing every last red cent from a product and basically selling things off of the back of a brand name that used to stand for quality. It can take decades for the word to get around that their parts are no longer any good and for the sales to fall enough for the company execs to even start to think that something may be wrong. However, the company execs are dicks and are more likely to cut costs even more instead of finding out the reason for the decline in sales and fixing the root cause of the issue.

Also, for easy to get to items like the coil packs then the FCP Euro guarantee is useful but for something deep inside the engine/transmission then you really do want to be buying the best quality possible