How Much Does It Cost to Replace Your Spark Plugs
Among the modern marvels that make gasoline engines work are your car’s spark plugs. Once an item that was cleaned, gapped, and replaced often, spark plugs these days have evolved to be relatively maintenance free. Spark plugs have a very long life due to the use of some exotic materials and a century of refinement. In this article, we will tell you how much it costs to have your spark plugs replaced, how often you may need to replace them, and who can do this work for you. If you can’t possibly wait any longer to get to the cost, we will tell you right now it costs between $300 and $700 for a set of spark plugs to be replaced. That includes all the parts and labor.
Top recommendations for best spark plugs
The following are recommendations based on interviews with ASE-certified mechanics.
- ACDelco: The go-to brand for GM vehicles.
- Motorcraft - The go-to brand for Ford and Lincoln branded vehicles.
- NGK (Niterra): A trusted aftermarket and OEM Brand for Toyota, Subaru, Mazda, and Honda vehicles. Also, a brand used for marine and off-road vehicles.
- OEM Spark Plugs: You won’t go wrong buying plugs from your vehicle’s parts counter.
- Hot rodders are switching to NGK. Some also use Champion on older vehicles.
What are spark plugs, and why do I need to replace them?
Spark plugs supply the ignition source inside the piston of a gas-powered car. The spark happens up to thousands of times per minute. The tip of the spark plug is inside the cylinder of the car, and it is exposed to incredible forces that want to pit and degrade the business end. Iridium and other exotic materials are now used to create the tips of the plugs so that they can last much, much longer than older spark plugs. Despite the longevity of modern plugs, they do eventually need to be replaced because they suffer degradation in normal use.
How often should I have my car’s spark plugs changed?
How often to change your spark plugs is determined by the design of your engine and its plugs. Many Toyota models have a 120,000-mile replacement interval. America’s top-selling vehicle, the Ford F-150, has a 100,000-mile interval. Popular crossovers like the Subaru Forester and CX-5 have 60K and 90K plug replacement intervals.
How are spark plugs replaced?
Spark plugs are removed using a special socket and socket wrench. It may sound easy but is often very tricky. The biggest challenge is getting to the plugs. Since the plugs are not serviced very often, design engineers have conspired to bury them under the engine manifolds of many vehicles. This adds to the cost of replacement since the manifold must be partially disassembled, removed, and then re-assembled. In other cases, the plugs are hard to get to for other reasons. Subaru’s “boxer” engines have the plugs facing the walls of the engine bay.
We asked a Boston-area Subaru dealership service manager how the plugs are replaced. He told us as we looked down into a Forester’s engine bay, “On older models, we just pull the engine. On new models, we uncouple the engine from the motor mounts and nudge the engine up a bit using our lift and a jack stand. Then we change them.” These are just examples to illustrate why having parts replaced that cost under $100 can add up to a bill of almost $700 in a high-volume-selling automobile.
How much does it cost to have a vehicle’s spark plugs changed?
Car Talk reached out to Boston-area dealerships to obtain the below prices for spark plug replacement. It is very likely that you can save as much as 25% by having your spark plugs changed by a trusted independent shop rather than using your dealer.
| Vehicle Model | Spark Plug Change | Source of Pricing | Change Interval |
|---|
My dealer wants to change my spark plugs sooner than my owner’s manual suggests. Should I do it?
Car Talk will always defer to the owner's manual for maintenance intervals. If your dealer or a shop wants to change your spark plugs sooner than is indicated in the manual, we would ask for more information and decline unless there was a check engine light or other indication that some problem actually existed.
Will changing my spark plugs help save fuel?
A vehicle that is not displaying a check engine light and is running normally will not have improved performance or fuel economy by changing the spark plugs.
Who can change my car’s spark plugs?
Your dealer or any qualified mechanic at a trusted local shop can change your spark plugs. This is not a service we would suggest being done at a big-box store or by a tire and muffler chain. Although changing plugs is not rocket science, doing it wrong can cause big headaches.
Can I replace my own spark plugs?
Depending on your particular car, changing the plugs can range from a DIY job to one best performed by a dealer mechanic with a lot of experience. If you are very experienced and the plugs are accessible to you, it may be worth considering. One note: If the plugs are well past the date they should have been changed, get help from an experienced professional.
Which spark plugs should I buy?
Spark plugs are not that expensive, and you only need to replace them once or twice in the lifespan of the vehicle. Why not get the OEM plugs you know will work perfectly? You can buy spark plugs in many places, but your dealer’s parts counter has the exact ones that the car’s designer chose.
Read more on the topic of Owning a Car here.
