Spark Plug Change Interval

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jray19

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I just had some routine service done, Oil Change and Tire rotation and the odo is just over 100,000 miles. They were pushing for a Spark Plug change at 100,000 - 120,000 miles. Yet the Maintenance minder had not turned on the A04 code. I asked why they thought it was needed now and related that this was a PHEV with probably less than 1/2 miles on the gas engine. They gave the explanation that even when the gas engine is not running the plugs are in a ready mode so total milage was the important piece. I was going to wait until the A04 code comes on with my personal assumption that it may be tracking engine usage

Any thought from this helpful forum.
 
My 2 cents... Honestly I think I would wait for the maintenance minder unless you are experiencing rough engine running or you see the spark plugs in bad shape with cracks, signs of rust, or signs of oil contamination ( -the last two will mean other engine problems-)

The argument of the plugs being in "ready mode" is nonsense (sales tactic).
 
I, personally, would not change the plugs without looking at them at the very least. Clarity owners tend to put a lot of ev miles on the car and not many engine miles. The whole ready mode thing if utter nonsense, no such thing.
 
Daniel M W said:
My 2 cents... Honestly I think I would wait for the maintenance minder unless you are experiencing rough engine running or you see the spark plugs in bad shape with cracks, signs of rust, or signs of oil contamination ( -the last two will mean other engine problems-)

The argument of the plugs being in "ready mode" is nonsense (sales tactic).
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Thank you for your advice.
 
"The plugs are in a ready mode?" What utter nonsense. There is, categorically, no such thing as a spark plug "ready mode." They're either sparking, or they aren't. Spark plugs wear out because each spark vaporizes a tiny bit of metal from the plug: no sparks, no wear.
 
Come on guys. It’s pretty obvious that when the car is powered up and “Ready” is illuminated on the display, everything, including the spark plugs are in “ready mode”. If in doubt, just have the service tech explain it.
 
Never heard of spark plugs in ready mode. There is no such thing for spark plugs. Maybe if you drive a diesel and it uses a glow plug then you might have to preheat it during winter ( to ready it). Sounds like they want to make a few hundred quick ones. I would take out 1 spark plug and see how worn it is before replacing it. It is pretty simple to replace 4 cyl engines since they are on top. Boxer engines on the other hand are a pain to replace.
 
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