You may have never given a thought to the importance of the spark plugs in your BMW. Many times, we don’t pay attention to the important components of our vehicle, but without spark plugs, our car’s engines won’t function.

Having a spark plug malfunction could put your car out of work and cause you to stall your plans for the whole day. It is better to avoid the situation completely by using the methods that will be highlighted here.

If you’re like most road users, who know little about the spark plug and why it keeps malfunctioning in your BMW, then you’re in the right place. Let’s take a look at why spark plugs are so important as well as what can help it to process faster in your BMW.

The Function of the Spark Plugs

The spark plug is the reason your engine starts up whenever you turn the ignition key. Its importance to your BMW engine is vast. The spark plug in a gas-powered BMW is responsible for igniting the fuel/air combination that starts the car engine. So without spark plugs, your engine will not ignite.

The number of spark plugs match the number of cylinders in your car. They can go bad one at a time and cause problems without a full working set. A dirty, eroded, or damaged spark plug can lead to a lot of problems for your BMW’s engine. You could experience rough idling, rough engine start, poor mileage, and many more as a result of a failed spark plug.

Cause of Poor Performance from Your Spark Plugs

Now that you have an idea of the importance of a spark plug and the consequences of bad ones, let’s look into why the spark plugs in your BMW continue to age faster.

• Overheating: Excess build-up of heat on the tip of your spark plug over time could lead to its demise. When the tip of the spark plugs overheats over a long period of time, it consequently leads to deterioration. Also, if the cooling chamber of the engine is not functioning as it should, it could cause the spark plug to erode prematurely. Overheating breeds a build up of electrodes in the spark plug, which damages it.
• Sub Standard Fuel Quality: Poor fuel quality has adverse effects on the performance of your vehicle in general. When the fuel that goes into the engine is contaminated, it could cause the tips of the spark plugs to erode. What happens in this case is that this disturbs the ignition process and allows the spark plugs to create sparks anytime instead of precisely when it is needed. In the long run, this malfunction of the spark plug will cause it to age faster and consequently lead to damage to the car’s engine.
• Build Up of Carbon on the Plug: If you check your BMW routinely, you may have noticed a black, cakey buildup at the tip of your spark plug. This black, dry soot on the tip of the spark plug is indicative of a carbon buildup. Many factors could be responsible for this, such as dirty air filters or engine wear and tear.
• The Spark Plug Gaps Don’t Fit: There should be an accurate gap between the electrodes and the center of the sparkplug during the time of installation to ensure that the engine performs optimally. If the gap isn’t a perfect fit, it creates a condition that allows the spark plug to undergo stress and wear out quickly.

Visit Das European Autohaus

There are generally recommended precautionary measures to take to prevent your spark plug from aging faster, such as changing your spark plugs often, keeping your engine optimally tuned, and using the right spark plug for your car. We suggest visiting our professional mechanics for recommendations on what type of spark plugs to use and how to maintain them.

At Das European Autohaus, we maintain and repair all kinds of European car brands. We are a team of experienced and hard-working technicians who pride ourselves on the immaculate standard of services we render to all our customers.

If you are in or near Spring, Houston, Cypress, or Woodlands, bring your car to Das European Autohaus. We offer the best services in diagnostics, repairs, and recommendations in the area. Contact us today!