NGK or Bosch Spark plug in E53? and correct torque 30nm or less?
 

So for the DIY Inspection for Dummies, I still have a few questions in the sparkplug area..

1) NGK or Bosch- Some say X5s originally came with German Bosch but now are NGK so which one?

2) Correct Torque in locking in the plug 30 nm or less? or is the Torque wrench overkill, shall we just tighten till the plug stops?

3) Anti-sieze lube on plug...?? some say do it some say don't

1) i prefer bosch
2) 23 nm /18ft-lb . note torque can be + or - 3nm .
3) lightly lube plug threads with copper- based anti-sieze compound
4) replace at 100,000 miles , usually platinum 4 electrode non adjustable plugs . time to replace O2 sensors at this mileage .

1. See what your car currently has, buy the same and buy from the dealer.
2. Should be printed on the box. Yes use torque wrench.
3. Per BMW TIS do not lube. However, half the people here will tell you to
lube. You decide.
4. Per BMW, replace at 100,000. Per Mike Miller and other great BMW techs,
60,000 miles.

Suggest NGK Iridium BKR6EIX

Recommended "Denso Iridium IK20" Plug Gap = 0.032

Recommend NGK Iridium IX plugs.

The e53 comes standard with either NGK BKR6EQUP or Bosch FGR7DQP plugs. The Bosch Platinum 4's look similar to the FGR7DQP but after initially running these plugs at 42K miles, the car felt sluggish, MPG went down, and i noticed no gain in performance whatsoever. Basically, they felt worse than my oem plugs with 42K on them.

Swapped in NGK Iridiums, the car felt refreshed. Sent my Bosch plugs back to the company, received a refund.

The only other 2 plugs I would recommend would be the BMW Bosch or the BMW NGK plugs from the dealer. Stay away from Bosch +4....Search other BMW forums and you'll see many others can relate to the experience I had with those plugs.

Going to have to agree 100% with everything you said. All pts are true and can be verified across many BMW forums and engines. Seems like +4s do not work well whereas the NGK BKR6EQUP and NGK IR IX plugs work well. That has also been my experience with ALL my BMWs that I've owned from E36 M3s, M Coupe, and 740i.

Currently running the NGK IR IX plugs in the other 2 cars and they seem waaay peppier and snappy after I put them in. Still running strong so that says something. Usually they loose their initial "newness" feeling after a few thousand miles but with the IX, everything has been really smooth. Even saw a 1-2mpg increase in efficiency in BOTH of my cars. Will be putting those IXs in the N62 on the next service.

Damn it! I just ordered +4s online and they should be here any day. I have 103k kms.

edit:
You said that part number FGR7QDP is not the same as Platinum +4s. Everywhere I look, the Bosch +4s ARE FGR7QDP, unlike what you guys said..
FGR7DQP-8 - Spark Plugs - Set Of Eight (Platinum+4) - ES#250657

edit2: half the websites show the FGR7QDP as +4s and half don't. w.t.f

i ordered these ones
https://www.autopartsway.ca/partdeta...el-level-gauge

I am running the Bosch plugs in my auto x5 and it runs great. Maybe they improved them. I am going to install them in my MT as well.