ZPOST
BMW Garage BMW Meets Register Search Today's Posts Mark Forums Read


Go Back   ZPOST > BMW Z4 Technical Talk > Engine, Exhaust, Drivetrain Modifications
  TireRack

SUPPORT ZPOST BY DOING YOUR TIRERACK SHOPPING FROM THIS BANNER, THANKS!
Post Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread
      04-05-2011, 10:39 PM   #1
blender
Custom User Title
blender's Avatar
United_States
141
Rep
661
Posts

Drives: black
Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: n

iTrader: (0)

Talking Bavarian Autosport coils: bad fitment and one fix.

So I had to do plugs and (having swallowed their marketing) thought I'd pop in a set of Bavauto's high performance coils. Having removed the factory coils before, it *seemed* easy enough.

Turns out the plastic housing around the three-pronged male connector (see pic) is out of tolerance relative to the factory (female) cable. The factory cable would not seat on the aftermarket coil, even with wiggling and maximum two-handed pressure. I was not going to force them together with pliers--too risky IMHO. Tried two cables and four coils, consistent no-fit. Mailed BavAuto customer service Sunday night, no reply by end of day Monday. Emailed them again monday night. No reply by noon Tuesday. Kinda disapppointed about that.

Called and talked to BavAuto customer service, some cat named Rob, whose advice was 'just wiggle the connectors.' Been there already. When I informed him they would NOT seat, he cut to the chase and stated he'd supply a Return Merch Authorization number, took my email, and that was that. Never got that email either BTW. It occurred to me that perhaps I received the wrong coils, although they sure looked right. I called back, talked to sales this time, verified part numbers, which were correct.

Decided to get the calipers out and look for the bad tolerance between the factory coil connector and the aftermarket one. Most dimensions were with 1-1.2 mm, so pretty good. Got to the bottom of the triangle (see pic) and the gap to accomodate the shell of the cable's connector was way off for the aftermarket coil - about half what it should have been AND narrows at the back. (A vs B in pic) That's why the factory cable won't seat. Bad tolerances as I suspected. Probably bad chinese(?) plastic.

Solution was to flex the plastic gently with a narrow screwdriver to get some flex in the shell of the coil side of the connector. Take your time. You have to do this gently but the gap widens out enough to allow the factory connector to seat fully and properly. A little tri-flow on the screwdriver leaves behind some trace that helps the connectors mate better too. After this tweak, all the connectors seated fine and the retaining clips locked as designed.

If anybody from BavAuto reads this: you guys should already know this stuff. And please answer emails to your support address promptly!

Mistress runs nice with new plugs and coils (heh. Have fun taking that out of context.)

Attachment 505939

Last edited by blender; 11-21-2012 at 10:31 PM..
Appreciate 0
      04-06-2011, 12:13 PM   #2
Z4Murder
Major
Z4Murder's Avatar
United_States
28
Rep
1,110
Posts

Drives: > speed limit
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: Buffalo, NY

iTrader: (1)

any performance gains out of said coils?
__________________
2007 TiAg ///MCoupe
* Dinan strut bars * ZHP knob * RPI scoop * Ultimate Pedals * RE Diablo * 3.91 TMS gears * Apex PS7 * Eventuri intake* Nitto NT05 * TMS pullies * Zeck CDV * RE tranny mounts * Tekarbon * Mstache 2 *
'14 Jeep Grand Cherokee Overland Hemi... No more snow for the M!
Appreciate 0
      04-06-2011, 12:17 PM   #3
O-cha
Brigadier General
O-cha's Avatar
218
Rep
4,726
Posts

Drives: Mcoupe
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: In front of you

iTrader: (2)

Quote:
Originally Posted by Z4Murder View Post
any performance gains out of said coils?
Not unless you have an extra couple hundred horsepower and are having spark issues.
__________________
Appreciate 0
      04-06-2011, 12:24 PM   #4
Z4Murder
Major
Z4Murder's Avatar
United_States
28
Rep
1,110
Posts

Drives: > speed limit
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: Buffalo, NY

iTrader: (1)

Quote:
Originally Posted by O-cha View Post
Not unless you have an extra couple hundred horsepower and are having spark issues.
fair enough. like the msd i put in my trans am
__________________
2007 TiAg ///MCoupe
* Dinan strut bars * ZHP knob * RPI scoop * Ultimate Pedals * RE Diablo * 3.91 TMS gears * Apex PS7 * Eventuri intake* Nitto NT05 * TMS pullies * Zeck CDV * RE tranny mounts * Tekarbon * Mstache 2 *
'14 Jeep Grand Cherokee Overland Hemi... No more snow for the M!
Appreciate 0
      04-06-2011, 11:09 PM   #5
blender
Custom User Title
blender's Avatar
United_States
141
Rep
661
Posts

Drives: black
Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: n

iTrader: (0)

Quote:
Originally Posted by Z4Murder View Post
any performance gains out of said coils?

Nope.. theoretically 'fractionally' better mileage. Here's the marketing blurb (engage BS filters):

"The core windings inside these coils have been modified to increase firepower and promote a faster, more efficient burn. This gives your BMW increased torque in the lower range of RPM and more horsepower in the upper range. Exact improvements depend on the current condition of your BMW's engine, but you'll definitely feel the difference. They'll also improve your fuel economy...."


Did I "feel the difference?" Meh. I changed the plugs and the oil at same time as the coils, overall result was noticeable but not significant. Speculation: maybe more noticeable on an older motor with original coils?
Appreciate 0
      04-07-2011, 06:37 AM   #6
inTgr8r
Lieutenant General
inTgr8r's Avatar
Canada
2422
Rep
11,665
Posts

Drives: M2 Comp
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Toronto

iTrader: (10)

Thanks for posting.

...it sounds like the moral of this story is; stick with OE coil packs.
__________________
'21 M2C Hockenheim Silver
'18 718 Cayman S Lava Orange (sold)
'13 E92 M3 Santorini Blue (sold)
'07 Z4 M Coupe Alpine White (sold)
Appreciate 0
Post Reply

Bookmarks

Tags
bavauto, coils, plugs

Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off



All times are GMT -5. The time now is 05:52 AM.




zpost
Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.11
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions Inc.
1Addicts.com, BIMMERPOST.com, E90Post.com, F30Post.com, M3Post.com, ZPost.com, 5Post.com, 6Post.com, 7Post.com, XBimmers.com logo and trademark are properties of BIMMERPOST