Had my car serviced but only got the oil and oil/fuel filter changed, wanted to give these things a go myself.

Changing the air filter should be a doddle, what's the best one to get? Don't want to go OEM with this one as just want to clean it when it's dirty as opposed to replacing.

Spark plugs may be slightly harder but have printed off Andy Monty's guide so that should see me reet. I've found NGK ones for £15 for 4 pack but if there are better ones out there I'd be tempted to go for them.

Thanks in advance.

not really worth getting "better" plugs as i cant see them making any difference


I'd find a local motorfactors i paid £12 for 4 NGK plugs and about £4.80 for a paper air filter You will probably find the cleaner and oil for the likes of a KN panel filter cost more than a new filter.... That and the paper ones usually offer better filtration

have a look here :

http://www.mkiv.com/techarticles/filters_test/2/

BMC, K&N etc panel filters would be your best option, just trying to find the cheapest one is the tricky part.

Aye fair point.

One similar to this?

http://www.shop4parts.co.uk/?name=store&op=Details&ProdID=2355&sku=6280

EDIT: Vance, as Andy says would be cheaper to get the above. Not looking for 'performance' or noise, just cheap and cheerful.

yes they are the originals both FRAM and Crossland filters are identical

(i use a small indipendent factors and they are always on the right side price wise)

Think I might just order the stuff online Andy, can't find the time to nip in to a IMF.

4 plugs and the air filter for £20 ain't bad. Looking forward to having a go at it.

Get a decent quality spark plug socket it makes all the difference


Just take great care not to cross thread them lol


I go to the the local factors all the time for work (well did till the work van caught fire last week)

so was able to do my shopping at the same time

Aye, I'm sure I'd get them cheaper as well through our fleet manager but I'm not too keen on constantly reminding him and waiting weeks for them lol.

Got NGK ones and the filter from shop4parts, total £30.

Wish me luck! lol.

Done. Changing the air filter was a dawdle, noticed there was some gunk in the breather pipe so cleaned that out, and also gave the throttle body a clean as well. Used my compressed air to clean any dust/dirt near the plugs, they were a bit hard to change, especially in freezing conditions lol. The old plugs looked in decent condition but according to my service history they hadn't been changed for 2.5 years.

Instructions were great Andy.

Not sure if there is any improvement in MPG yet, I lift share and it's not my turn next week but looking forward to trying it.

Magic Johnson said:

...... snip......... The old plugs looked in decent condition but according to my service history they hadn't been changed for 2.5 years.
..... snip...........

Click to expand...

Typically spark plugs don't deteriorate much (if any) with age. Mileage is the prime factor. If you drive aggressively you may want to change sooner than recommended for two reasons. Thrashing an engine hard is also hard on plugs plus spark plugs face a greater challenge producing a spark at high combustion pressures. In other words, racing, or driving like you think you're a racer, calls for better plugs than normal commuting to work.

But in the real world, with a non-modified modern engine, it's pretty had to over tax your spark plugs and/or ignition system.

Modern engines are not only much easier on plugs than engines of 40 or 50 years ago, modern ignition systems are WAY better than they used to be. Plugs are better too. I remember cleaning the plugs in my 1968 Porsche 911 every 1000 miles (I couldn't afford to change them that often). These days, I hardly give my spark plugs a thought.

While not exactly a true statement in every case and in every circumstance, you can pretty much say that for any car we're likely to own, the simple act of producing a spark is sufficient for our purposes. And modern engine computers, modern ignitions, and modern plugs work in harmony to do that very well even in difficult conditions.

As long you have the correct heat range, a spark plug is pretty far down the list of critical engine components when it comes to performance or reliability.

Great post!

Seeing as I don't rag my car at all maybe that's why they looked in very decent nick.

Good news is though the next service should be really cheap again lol.

Washed it again at the weekend, looks and runs fabulously. Love this car.

Fiat do specify a change is due at 18k miles...