should I buy new wires? Three of the boots won't even budge by hand. I'm waiting on the Snap On truck to deliver a pair of wire pliers to my mechaninc so I can pull them with the least amount of damage. The wires have been on the car since I've had it 19 months ago. The three plugs I were able to get at looked ok before I cleaned them but I decided I wanted to get away from platinum plugs since reading bad things about them. I went with Rapid Fire #9's. The Beru and Bosch wires are around $120 a set. Should I go with Magnecore or something else?

taking a "medium" sized tie wrap, break off the locking tab, and get it around the metal part of the boot and pull. If it does not come off merely with your finger strength, try pulling with a pair of pliers.<ul><li><a href="http://www.karlynsti.com/Folders/Karlyn_STI_Ignition_Wire_Sets.htm">Additionally, consider these wires too</a></li></ul>

.. IMHO no problem with the Bosch platinums on the 12v motor.

My 12v didn't like the Bosch +4 sparkies one bit. I got some ugly pics to prove it. I've been told the +4s were bad quality, but the regular (not three-prong) Bosch platinums were much better. I'm back to using the OEM NGK plugs.

Any idea who carries them? I want a set ASAP. There wasn't any online ordering info.

I know you were having various issues with idle etc. I know your plugs were kinda glazed if I remember. Just wonder if you followed up with a fresh look after you did all your intake work. I am running the bosch platinums (2 prong)now.I had 4 prong in there before. Haven't noticed any problems. I think the 12v's are less sensitive to these things compared to the turbo.There are a lot of opinions on the main A4 forum that I don't agree with.

I'll pull the NGK plugs soon, and I'll report my findings. Maybe the issues (ash-fouled) I had with the Bosch +4 plugs were due to the engine running poorly for a while, or maybe it was due to the Techron I used.

It's just that I've heard too much about the Bosch +4 plugs in general. Supposedly, Bosch skimped with the platinum (compared to other makers of platinum plugs), and the center electrode is tiny. In my case the center electrodes were actually burnt off to a different degree on each plug.

Neither Bosch nor Audi recommends the +4 plug for the 2.8 12v engine. If the NGK plugs look fine, I'll keep using them. If they don't look as good as I expect, then I'll give the Beru Ultra-X UXF5.6 a shot.

Didn't bother with the extra large diameter or race type wires ... the regular ones seem to do fine in my motor. Only around $50, too, much cheaper than OEM.