Even if you’re not someone who is super familiar with cars and how they work, there is a decent chance that you have at least heard of spark plugs before. They’re probably one of the few car parts that almost everyone could pick out of a lineup. Yet, a lot of people don’t realize how important spark plugs are to their vehicles. You should take the time to learn more about them and to find out what the spark plug replacement cost will be the next time you need to have them replaced. Find out everything you need to know about spark plugs below.
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What Is a Spark Plug and What Does It Do?
First things first: Even though you likely know what a spark plug looks like, you might not know what one is or what it does. So let’s start there. A spark plug is one of the many parts found in your car’s ignition system. It’s responsible for providing your car with the spark that it needs to ignite the air-fuel mixture that is used to power up your engine when you start it up. When you stick your car key into your ignition and turn it, it’s your spark plugs that create the chain reaction that is necessary for your engine to begin generating power.
With this in mind, it’s not all that hard to see why the spark plugs in your vehicle are so essential. There are at least two spark plugs in every vehicle, if not more, and without them, you wouldn’t be able to start your car up and begin driving it. It’s why you need to keep your car’s spark plugs in great condition and pay the spark plug replacement cost when it’s time to replace them with new ones.
How Exactly Does a Spark Plug Work?
We just explained what a spark plug is and why it’s so important to your car, but we didn’t really break down how exactly it works when you stick your car key into your ignition and turn it. You need to know this to get a good understanding for just how crucial it is to have fully-functioning spark plugs in your vehicle.
So, how does a spark plug work? Well, it operates by accepting high-voltage electricity from your car’s ignition coil and transforming it into a strong spark that is then used inside of your vehicle’s engine. That spark is needed to ignite the air-fuel mixture that is then utilized to create power in your engine. If not for your spark plug, your entire ignition system would basically shut down and cease to do its job. There are, of course, other parts in the ignition system that need to work alongside your spark plugs, but the spark plugs are the heart and soul of the system in many ways. You’ll need to shoulder the spark plug replacement cost to replace them right away if they ever go bad for this reason.
How Often Should You Replace Spark Plugs?
Now that you know why spark plugs are so important to your car and understand how they work, it’s time to touch on how often you’re going to need to worry about paying the spark plug replacement cost. It’s not as often as you might think. But there may be times when you’ll have to replace your car’s spark plugs more often than usual.
Generally speaking, the average spark plugs should give you about 100,000 miles before they give out on you. But that will only happen if you subject them to normal driving conditions almost exclusively. If you push your car to its limits on a regular basis and drive it around in bad weather, your spark plugs will probably give out on you before they reach the 100,000-mile mark.
You might also have to be concerned about the spark plug replacement cost if you have fluids leaking inside your car and you don’t do anything about them. Leaking fluids can cause issues for spark plugs and limit their lifespan in a major way. For this reason, it’s imperative that you stop leaks from occurring. Otherwise, you might have to pay the spark plug replacement cost several times throughout the course of your time with your current car.
What Are the Signs of Bad Spark Plugs?
Since most spark plugs are going to last you for somewhere around 100,000 miles, you might not ever have to worry about shouldering the spark plug replacement cost. You could very easily get away with not having to ever replace your car’s spark plugs. But just in case things don’t work out for you like that, you should be mindful of the signs of bad spark plugs. They’ll let you know that you should consider having your spark plugs replaced right away.
One of the first things that’ll typically happen when your spark plugs conk out on you is that your check engine light will come on. This will indicate that you need to take your car in for service to fix this problem. But that’s not the only thing that’s going to happen when you have bad spark plugs in your vehicle. You might also see some of these signs appear:
- Your engine seems like it’s vibrating when you’re driving your car down the road
- Your engine idles rough when you’re sitting at traffic lights
- Your car stops getting the kind of gas mileage that it used to
- Your car loses power out of nowhere
- Your car doesn’t start up right away when you turn the key in it
In a worst-case scenario, a car with bad spark plugs in it might even shut down altogether and not work. That’ll be when you’ll really know that it’s time to find out the spark plug replacement cost and have new spark plugs installed in your vehicle.
Should You Continue Driving a Car With Spark Plug Issues?
If you spot any of the signs of bad spark plugs that we just mentioned, it would be a good idea for you to schedule service for it right away. It’s not smart for someone to drive around in a car with bad spark plugs in it. Even if you’re able to get it to start, there are a bunch of different problems that might pop up when you drive a car with bad spark plugs in it.
For example, if you drive a car with bad spark plugs in it, it’s not usually going to be able to burn all of the fuel that works its way through your engine. This unburned fuel will then be able to get into your car’s exhaust system and cause issues. Specifically, it’ll create problems for your car’s catalytic converter and potentially even ruin it. That could lead to you having to replace your catalytic converter entirely, and the cost of doing that will be so much higher than the spark plug replacement cost.
If you have to drive a car around for a day or two with bad spark plugs in it, it might not be the end of the world. You’ll put some extra strain on your car, but it shouldn’t result in too many problems. If you continue to drive a car with spark plug issues for too long, though, that’s when the real trouble is going to start. You should avoid doing this at all costs and arrange to have spark plug replacement done right away.
Who Can Help You Perform Spark Plug Replacement?
In the event that your car’s spark plugs are on their last legs, you should have them replaced right away. You can do this by getting in touch with just about any ASE-certified mechanic in your area. Spark plug replacement is one of the more common auto repair jobs, so you shouldn’t have to rely on a specialist for help.
You should, however, see to it that you bring the right mechanic on board for the job. They should have plenty of experience working around engines and should be capable of providing the best spark plug replacement cost to you. This will get your car back out on the road in no time and ensure that your new spark plugs are installed the right way without breaking the bank.
Can You Replace Spark Plugs on Your Own?
Do you know a little bit about working on cars? If you do, then tackling a spark plug replacement job on your own might be a good way to cut your costs when putting new spark plugs into place. There are lots of auto repair jobs that you shouldn’t try on your own, but spark plug replacement is one of the few that you might be able to get away with doing.
Someone with a basic working knowledge of cars should be able to replace a set of spark plugs in about an hour or two. This could very well save you $100 or more and be well worth your time. The only thing you’re going to want to make sure that you do is use high-quality spark plugs in your car. If you don’t, it likely won’t be long before you’re replacing them again.
What Is the Spark Plug Replacement Cost Going to Be?
In the grand scheme of things, the good news when it comes to spark plug replacement is that it’s not going to cost you a whole lot of money, regardless of whether you do it yourself or pay someone to do it. On average, car owners can expect to pay somewhere between $195 and $260 for new spark plugs for their car. That includes parts, which should come in at under $100, and labor, which can sometimes top the $150 mark.
As you can see, a big portion of the spark plug replacement cost is devoted to labor. This is why it wouldn’t be an awful idea to replace your own spark plugs if you can swing it. You could easily save yourself a lot of money without having to put in too much effort on your part.
But no matter what you do, please don’t let the spark plug replacement cost prevent you from putting new spark plugs in your car. Some people think that replacing spark plugs is going to cost them more than it actually does, and they put off doing it because of this. You’ll be making a huge mistake if you choose to take this approach to spark plug replacement.
Is the Spark Plug Replacement Cost Worth It?
There are some auto repairs that aren’t going to be worth what they cost to those with older cars. You might not see the sense in paying more than $1,000 to repair certain aspects of a car when it’s not even worth that much money. But the spark plug replacement cost is going to be worth it to almost anyone who plans on keeping a car for the foreseeable future.
You really aren’t going to have an option as far as replacing spark plugs is concerned. You’re either going to suck it up and pay to have them replaced or see your car’s condition and value deteriorate right before your very eyes. But thankfully, you won’t have to pay a fortune when you face the spark plug replacement cost. You can have new spark plugs installed in your car for less than $100 if you do it on your own and just slightly north of $200 if you pay a mechanic to do it for you.
Selling a Car That Needs Spark Plug Replacement: Is It Possible?
Have you decided that, for whatever reason, the spark plug replacement cost just isn’t worth it to you? If so, you might be wondering what you should do with your car next. It’s not going to be super easy to sell an old car with spark plug issues to a private seller. But you should know that you can sell it to junk car buyers if you would like to go that route.
Junk car buyers from Cash Cars Buyer will pay you cash for your car, even though it doesn’t have fresh spark plugs in it. You can steer clear of paying the spark plug replacement cost by selling your car to us. You can also steer clear of a variety of other car repair problems when you make the decision to let us take your vehicle off your hands. Contact us today to see what kind of offer we can make you for your vehicle.