I ordered what I thought were OEM coils online, but now I'm concerned they're not what I should be using.

They're listed as manufacturer part number: N3H118100
Other part numbers listed includes: N3H118100B
The box is labeled: Motorking ZTB1305 NO: N3H1-18-100
The coils are only labeled "Motorking May.2013"

I know some non-OEM coils really are OEM, but I'm mainly concerned that these aren't the B (or C) revisions, though they are stamped May of this year so I don't think they're old...

 

Never heard of the Motorking brand. Can't provide comment on that. Though if you were going to order coils from a generic source, Advance Auto is cheaper, far cheaper (~80-100 total), and the BWD coils are in use by quite a few on the forum.

 

+1 for getting them from advanced. the coils and wires have a great warranty. replace yearly=profit

 

I'm all for getting them from Advanced next time but I already have these in hand and I'm *hoping* to not have to return them. They were cheaper too, given that for $175 they came with wires.

They are listed as having a warranty - is there any difference in revisions A,B,C other than just longevity?

 

Maybe i'm one of those negative outliers, but I was NOT happy with the BWD coil. Had one fail on me in the period of about 4mos. replaced it and the car continued to run like ****. And yes, plugs and wires were replaced about the same time as when I put in those coils on. Anyway, pulled that junk and got the (c) spec coil from Mazmart....car's running great and the idle is rock solid. I will say this, when I first put on those BWD coils, car ran pretty darn good...I was happy, but after that one coil failed...thing just started running like crap....like the rest of them were about to fail. My car runs MUCH better on the oem (c) spec coil.

 

In theory, the difference between the revision is lifespan.

However, there has been zero quantitative or qualitative proof that later revisions actually do last longer. Largely the problem is that many people have no idea what revision they have and the lifespan for even the early coils can be so random (~15k to ~60k).

Everyone acknowledges that improvements were made, but it's just conjecture past that.

Advance's price, after always-running discounts, is typically around $190 for 4 coils, 4 plugs, and 4 wires, shipped free. Coils and wires without plugs would sit somewhere around $120.

 

well i only put 5-8k on my car since its not a dd and i replace the whole ignition every spring

 

Yes, failure examples can be found in any part, including OEM. Would you believe I had my Corolla's engine blow on me at 62,000 miles? All Toyota engines are complete garbage as a result.

 

no pearl you just have a knack for killing anything with pistons.

 

I do. Just a tongue in cheek example of how 1 example hardly makes a rule.

 

^^Agreed, i've heard other folks have no issues at all with the BWDs. I've never had an issue with an OEM coil...which is why I'm not using the BWDs anymore. That doesn't mean it can't happen though

 

I don't know if I'm more confused, or less at this point!
I do see the coils from Advance fairly cheap, but the wires seem more expensive.
If it's just a question of longevity, I may use the ones I have in hand. The car runs fine on the existing ones (35k miles) so I'll hold onto them in case there's an issue with the new ones.

 

It's all theoretical debate

Random dead on arrival coils can happen with any brand out there. Just expect to replace them around 30k and you will be fine.

 

I intend on having the car for a very long time, so coils/wires/plugs are on the list for every 30k to be safe.

Thanks!