Coil Pack (POST 9/2002) info / descrepancies.

[Washburn]

I didn't mean this to be a thread initially, but the more I kept finding about the coil pack versions for POST 9/2002 E46, more questions arose, which led me to do more research and i thought i'd post here as a thread for anyone who will be replacing their CPs soon / in the future.

Fist: This info only pertains to the POST 9/2002 E46 cars, which use the newer type of coil packs, which are not held by 2 screws. It is among these newer types that I find some discrepancies as to suggested part numbers by Bosch, BMW and online vendors.

OK. Let's start:

First, the oldest of these types by Bosch, which are also in my car, a 2005 June.

This type has the following Bosch Part No stamped on the CP's hold-down connector: 0 221 504 100
This is what it looks like:


Now, on to the REVISED/UPDATED versions:
At some point, Bosch/BMW revised the CP. I am not sure when this happened, but from the reading I have done, these revisions are supposed to reduce misfires and increase longevity.

Now, Let's see how they're listed at ECS Tuning: (Focus only on the Bosch plugs here - 1st and 3rd in the screenshot):



As you can see. they list TWO types of Bosch CPs:
1. with The BMW Part no. 1213 171 2219
2. with the BMW Part no. 1213 759 4937

Both those types look pretty much identical and are skinnier, all black, and don't have the boot separate, but looks like it's all one piece, and look like this:



Now, I went to Bosch USA parts catalog, and searched CPs for E46:
and this is what I came up with. Note only ONE type is recommended.
(ONLY LOOK AT 2nd LINE, as first line is for PRE 9/2002)
(as you can see by matching BMW No ending with 2219, this is the same as the FIRST type ECS suggests)




DETAILED INFO on that plug:



This has Bosch part number: 0 221 504 464 (you can see that on screen shots, and ECS image also shows this number stamped on plug)
Now, if you look at the 2nd screenshot again, you will see that this plus ALSO corresponds to the BMW no. 1213 171 2219 AND
12 13 7 594 938
NOTE: this is NOT the other (2nd) Bosch plug that ECS suggests: THAT one has BMW no. 12 13 7 594 937

So, why is ECS suggesting this CP with BMW Part no -937 for an E46?

I chatted with ECS:
--First I asked what is the difference between their 2 plugs that are recommended; Answer was: "the one ending with BMW no 2219 is a revised plug, and THAT was revised AGAIN, and THAT new one has the BMW no ending with 937"
--(so we have THREE types of plugs for E46 according to him. Old two tone one, and two newer all black types, which look identical)
--He could not answer the question "Why doesn't Bosch suggest this part number for E46"?

I tried finding this Bosch part no. on their catalog, and found that it has the Bosch part no. 0 221 504 470
(and ECS image correctly shows this number stamped on plug).

Here's a comparison of both on the Bosch catalog: (the one on left is what Bosch suggests on their search, the one on right is the 2nd one ECS suggests)



--Next, I looked online on forums and found that this Bosch plug (Bosch --470 and BMW --937) is recommended for E90 and up cars, and NOT for E46.
--This plug is available online but almost always suggested as NOT for E46, but for E90 and up.
--Then I went to Bosch catalog and entered a 2008 E92 as my car: YEP: The suggested plug was Bosch --470, (BMW --937)

So, again:
why is ECS suggesting this CP with BMW Part no -937 for an E46?

Time for more research: REAL OEM: Here are part numbers suggested for E46:



!!!! Notice that the BMW part no. 219 (Bosch --464) is listed as ENDED, meaning it was updated/revised.
And lo and behold, what does Real OEM recommend now (see screen shot above)?
The BMW --937 (Bosch --470) !!! ....which is, yep, NOT recommended by Bosch for E46

SO, summary so far:
-REALOEM recommends the Newest Revision (Bosch --470/ BMW --937) as the current CP for E46: (Lists previous revision Bosch 464/BMW 938 as "ENDED")
-ECS recommend BOTH types
-Tischer and Bavauto also recommends Bosch 470/BMW 937
-Bosch catalog recommends ONLY previous revision (Bosch --464 / BMW --219/938)

I only found ONE other place that listed this (newest) Bosch CP number (--470) for E46 (Europarts.com):



EDIT: Tischer, and Bavauto also recommend Bosch 470 / BMW 937 (Thanks go to member "1972Ford" (bimmerfest) for this info)
Several sites listed this newest revision with the word "Updated version"

PLACES that do NOT suggest this newest revision (Bosch --470 / BMW --937) for E46:
(These places all suggest 2nd revision: Bosch --464 / BMW 219 or 938)

1. Amazon: (has correct image) - see warning that it does NOT fit.


2. Turner Motor Sports (has WRONG image - shows the OLDEST type plug) - see part no. highlighted on bottom


3. Autohaus AZ: (see red box warning)


SO:
What I have really done is raise questions:
-What's the different between the two newer types ? (Bosch 464/BMW 938 and Bosch 470/BMW 937)
-Is the newest (Bosch 470) really better? what was revised?
-Why does RealOEM and ECS list the newest Bosch CP for our cars ?
(Real OEM ONLY lists the newest revision, previous one is listed as 'ENDED')
-Why doesn't Bosch recommend their newst --470 type for E46? (and Amazon, TMS, Autohaus AZ...)
-Which recommendation can be most accurate/should I choose? :
ECS and Real OEM? or Bosch and all the rest of major online retailers?

And finally: I have seen posts on forums about the newer "one piece - all black" type CPs (464 and 470) not making a SNAP noise or that they don't CLICK into place when installing. Quite by accident, I found this Bosch site:



Now, if anyone has any feedback or have noticed something I haven't, please comment. I am totally confused by what I have presented above, concerning how different sites/retailers recommend these 2 types of plugs.