Spark Plugs for 1999 GS300

[furballi]

Looking for negative/positive comments about the long term use (more than 40K miles) of Bosch Platinum 2 plugs on a 1999 GS300. Not sure if this engine uses a waste spark ignition system. If yes, then has anyone experienced abnormal deposits/wear on the small platinum center electrode found on the Bosch 2 plugs?

When replacing the plugs, I take it that you must remove the throttle body to access the plug chambers? How is this accomplished (via the three bolts holding the throttle body to the intake runner)? Some have said 4 bolts. A pictorial view would be immensely helpful.

TIA,
CP

[phml]

Let me know how the Bosch plugs feel?

I only know peeps with Lexus GS either replacing with Denso Iridium, or going with TorqueMaster plugs.

[capnfred]

Hey everyone, I have a 93 ES, since I bought the car from a private party, I have been slowly but surely finding all the problems they ignored. After finding many issues and correcting them, I still had a rough idle, was throwing codes relating to combustion. I attacked the problem, found a burned ignition wire, it was arcing downinside the sparkplug tube. While I had the air chamber off to replace the cyl. head cover gasket, I also decided to change the plugs. I was going to use NGK Iridium plugs, but the local Advance Autoparts did not have them in stock, also the Bosch plugs were on sale, so I got 6 Bosch Platinum +2 plugs, I installed them, re-assembled the engine and was rewarded with a smooth Idle, No CEL, and no misfires. All was going well for 1 day, then suddenly with no warning the CEL came on, the engine barely idled, and finally died, I had the car towed to my mechanic, thinking that maybe a wire went bad, (they were just replaced a few days before), he began to trouble shoot the engine. after lots of investigation, measuring the resistance of the wires, checking the spark, and finally measuring the resistance of the individual plugs as a last ditch test. Surprise of surprise, two of the 6 brand new Bosch Platinum +2 were defective, no continuity from the tip to the cap. So we went to Advance to exchange the plugs for two new ones, and being suspicious of the plugs decided to test the new ones before purchase, the store only had 2 left of the Bosch, we checked them both, and they too were open from tip to cap...... so I exchanged the 6 Bosch plugs for NGK iridium plugs....my mechanic explained that had we driven the car for some time we would have loaded the Cat with raw gas, washed the oil from the walls of the effected cyls. and possibly damaged the O2 sensor for the rear bank. I am writing to Bosch to complain, asking for damages, (compensation for towing the car and having to have it repaired). I was wondering if anyone else has had a similar problem with the Bosch Plug. One of the reasons I felt comfortable using Bosch plugs is that they are made in Germany, (which up til now imho = superior quality, and I have have used them for 100's of thousands of miles driving VW Buses.... roughly 700k miles in 4 different VW's.