Bosch or Bougicord?

[AugustneverEnds]

I am taking my second trip into the VOD, much simpler than the first was(!), and I noticed wires 1 and 4 didn't seem nice and snug on the distributor cap. I pulled them off and the leads inside were pushed way down into the boot, I tried to gently pull them up a bit with pliers but they still do not seem to be secure enough. As I have the intake off I figure it's best to replace. At present I have 7mm Bosch wires (a local mechanic installed them 4-5 years ago). What do you prefer Bosch or Bougicord? I think all of our D vendors carry Bosch and I found Bougicord at Advance Auto (albeit for the Volvo 262): http://shop.advanceautoparts.com/p/bougicord-ignition-wire-set-without-coil-wire-f1020389756bgc/10808638-P?searchTerm=spark+plug+wires

Any recommendations?

[BladeBronson]

Well, if all the DeLorean vendors carry Bosch...

[DavidProehl]

Well, if all the DeLorean vendors carry Bosch...

Right. There is a reason I'm sure. I went Bosch with my wires because it was the OEM wire as well. My OEM wires worked flawlessly so why change what is working?

[louielouie2000]

About 15 years ago I replaced the spark plugs, wires, and coil on my first DeLorean with high performance stuff from Hervey and it caused all sorts of problems on my car. First of all the car wouldn't even start with the aftermarket coil. Then the radio interference from the plug wires was so terrible I swapped those back to Bosch as well. The ignition system is one of those systems on the DeLorean that seems to function best when you stick with OEM components.

[AugustneverEnds]

Right. There is a reason I'm sure. I went Bosch with my wires because it was the OEM wire as well. My OEM wires worked flawlessly so why change what is working?

Actually I am not sure Bosch were the OEM wires. I remember reading that Bougicord was then they became hard to find in the United States so Bosch became the most readily available replacement. The reason I am asking is because I found Bougicords for a decent price and wondered if anyone is using them.

[AugustneverEnds]

According to the UK Club Bougicord were the D's OEM wires: http://www.deloreanclub.uk/ignition-leads-ht-leads.html

[PJ Grady Inc.]

Actually I am not sure Bosch were the OEM wires. I remember reading that Bougicord was then they became hard to find in the United States so Bosch became the most readily available replacement. The reason I am asking is because I found Bougicords for a decent price and wondered if anyone is using them.

Bougicord WAS the OEM ignition wireset on the Delorean. Every one of the 40 plus brand new Deloreans we sold from 81 thru 83 came so equipped. Some vendors switched to Bosch because Bougicord is now very hard to get in the states. Bosch wire sets are not one of their better products and this in one place where the French have the Germans beat in reliability. I can say this and still be PC because I am part German unless you're French and then my meaning is purposely ambiguous. Bosch wiresets typically start arcing in a year or two of daily driving especially if you encounter wet conditions. Stay away from the red Bougicords that DMCL foisted on the original dealer network (if you encounter them) as they are junk. If you findblack Bougicords get them as that is the good stuff. We are currently using A/C Delco as our preferred supplier but there are some others available that seem to work well too.
Rob

[AugustneverEnds]

Thank you Mr. Grady. Do you carry the black Bougicords? I found these listed at Advance Auto: http://shop.advanceautoparts.com/p/bougicord-ignition-wire-set-without-coil-wire-f1020389756bgc/10808638-P?searchTerm=spark+plug+wires

I was very surprised when I inspected the leads and found them not making good contact as they are only 4-5 years old. I guess this would explain why the car felt slightly off twice this summer when it rained and why the last time I had it running in the garage this winter I thought it had a slight misfire until it warmed up. I grew up with my Dad's BMWs so I used to think Bosch and all things German were superior to all but another myth has been put to pasture :shhh:

[PJ Grady Inc.]

Thank you Mr. Grady. Do you carry the black Bougicords? I found these listed at Advance Auto: http://shop.advanceautoparts.com/p/bougicord-ignition-wire-set-without-coil-wire-f1020389756bgc/10808638-P?searchTerm=spark+plug+wires

I was very surprised when I inspected the leads and found them not making good contact as they are only 4-5 years old. I guess this would explain why the car felt slightly off twice this summer when it rained and why the last time I had it running in the garage this winter I thought it had a slight misfire until it warmed up. I grew up with my Dad's BMWs so I used to think Bosch and all things German were superior to all but another myth has been put to pasture :shhh:

Not currently because my WD's stopping importing them. I'm surprised to see them available at Advance and may investigate further. The AC Delco's are very good as well BTW.
Rob

[AugustneverEnds]

Not currently because my WD's stopping importing them. I'm surprised to see them available at Advance and may investigate further. The AC Delco's are very good as well BTW.
Rob

You and me both. How much are the AC Delcos? I am unhappy with the Bosches and am going to give one of these a try.

[sdg3205]

My DMC red bosch wires are 7 years old. they have 15k miles on them. Recently in wet weather i have developed a miss. Could this be the bosch wires giving up? I have a rally in may here in the pacific north west. I can't be down a cylinder in the mountains.

[PJ Grady Inc.]

You and me both. How much are the AC Delcos? I am unhappy with the Bosches and am going to give one of these a try.

PM with options sent.
Rob

[PJ Grady Inc.]

My DMC red bosch wires are 7 years old. they have 15k miles on them. Recently in wet weather i have developed a miss. Could this be the bosch wires giving up? I have a rally in may here in the pacific north west. I can't be down a cylinder in the mountains.

The red Bougicords are notoriously bad. Yuo're lucky they lasted that long. Look at them on a damp night and you'll think Grucci is staging a fireworks display in your engine compartment. Retire those puppies!
Rob

[sdg3205]

The red Bougicords are notoriously bad. Yuo're lucky they lasted that long. Look at them on a damp night and you'll think Grucci is staging a fireworks display in your engine compartment. Retire those puppies!
Rob

But mine are Bosch. Are they Bougicords in disguise?!

[PJ Grady Inc.]

But mine are Bosch. Are they Bougicords in disguise?!

My mistake! When I read red I instantly thought old obsolete Bougicord. Never seen red Bosch but if they're like the black ones they're probably shot given your symptoms.

[Mark D]

Perfect timing for me to read through this thread, sounds like some A/C Delco ignition wires are in my future soon.

[Bill6298]

Are these the original (hard to find) wires from Bougicord? Just took these off last night.

49937

Someone mentioned rain/moisture causing problems with a certain type of wires. I have always had a problem starting my car if it sat outside overnight (not garaged) and condensation formed overnight. Same if it rained while parked. It probably doesn't matter at this point as I'll be replacing these anyway.

[krs09]

Are these the original (hard to find) wires from Bougicord? Just took these off last night.

49937

Someone mentioned rain/moisture causing problems with a certain type of wires. I have always had a problem starting my car if it sat outside overnight (not garaged) and condensation formed overnight. Same if it rained while parked. It probably doesn't matter at this point as I'll be replacing these anyway.

When I went over my VOD, Dave at midwest suggested the Bougicord. He told me they are french but he never has a problem with them. So far so good

[Bill6298]

When I went over my VOD, Dave at midwest suggested the Bougicord. He told me they are french but he never has a problem with them. So far so good

Too bad mine are probably from 1981.. unless this black variant was available in the late 1990s and were installed then. Most of the new parts put in my car back then came from Rob Grady, I believe.

[DMC-Ron]

Thank you Mr. Grady. Do you carry the black Bougicords? I found these listed at Advance Auto: http://shop.advanceautoparts.com/p/bougicord-ignition-wire-set-without-coil-wire-f1020389756bgc/10808638-P?searchTerm=spark+plug+wires

I was very surprised when I inspected the leads and found them not making good contact as they are only 4-5 years old. I guess this would explain why the car felt slightly off twice this summer when it rained and why the last time I had it running in the garage this winter I thought it had a slight misfire until it warmed up. I grew up with my Dad's BMWs so I used to think Bosch and all things German were superior to all but another myth has been put to pasture :shhh:

I noticed the Advance web site says these Bougicord's do not fit the DeLorean?

[PJ Grady Inc.]

Too bad mine are probably from 1981.. unless this black variant was available in the late 1990s and were installed then. Most of the new parts put in my car back then came from Rob Grady, I believe.

We sold them until the early 2000's when they stopped importing them. You wires could well be a replacement set.
Rob

[krs09]

Too bad mine are probably from 1981.. unless this black variant was available in the late 1990s and were installed then. Most of the new parts put in my car back then came from Rob Grady, I believe.

Wow. Well they looked new and soft. I did the engine rebuild in 2013.

[AugustneverEnds]

I noticed the Advance web site says these Bougicord's do not fit the DeLorean?

I cheated a bit, I searched the Advance site using the 1981 Volvo 262 as the vehicle in question. Pretty much the same version of the PRV we have, the same enough in this instance. If you shop around Advance Auto, Napa, Autozone, RockAuto etc using a PRV-engined Volvo or Eagle Premier for a parts search it tends to get more results than DeLorean.

[Bill6298]

Nick, were you able to figure out if these wires sold by Advanced Auto (Part No. F1020389756BGC) are the same as the OE for our cars? A quick search does not return any good cross reference info. FWIW, Advanced does not seem to have the coil wire and it's not included in the $38 part number above.

I grabbed another picture of my likely year ~2000 era wires but there's no part number.

49973

[PJ Grady Inc.]

Nick, were you able to figure out if these wires sold by Advanced Auto (Part No. F1020389756BGC) are the same as the OE for our cars? A quick search does not return any good cross reference info. FWIW, Advanced does not seem to have the coil wire and it's not included in the $38 part number above.

I grabbed another picture of my likely year ~2000 era wires but there's no part number.

49973
Coil wires are very hard to find separetly so don't by a wireset that doesn't include one or you'll be SOOL! Too bad as that is a very good price for Bougies.

[AugustneverEnds]

Nick, were you able to figure out if these wires sold by Advanced Auto (Part No. F1020389756BGC) are the same as the OE for our cars? A quick search does not return any good cross reference info. FWIW, Advanced does not seem to have the coil wire and it's not included in the $38 part number above.

I grabbed another picture of my likely year ~2000 era wires but there's no part number.

49973

I can't say for sure if the ones I found are an identical match to OE. By zooming in on the picture on Advance's site and comparing them to the pic on the UK Club's site they both have 'Bougicord Autoradio Bougicord 403 Class C' printed on them. My gut tells me they are but the coil wire is nowhere to be found so perhaps this is a dead end unfortunately.

[AugustneverEnds]

I have been searching the web for Bougicord coil wires without any luck, plenty of separately sold coil wires for 4 cylinder Volvos but nothing doing for 6 cylinders. To boot I even found another set of Bougies on Amazon (https://www.amazon.com/Bougicord-Ignition-Wire-Set-Without/dp/B004JQ2KZY/ref=sr_1_12?s=automotive&ie=UTF8&qid=1490929971&sr=1-12&keywords=bougicord+coil+wire) even cheaper than Advance Auto but again sans coil wire. Where in the world are the French hiding coil wires??? :dunno:

I guess if you want a full set of Bougicords the DeLorean UK Club is your best source: http://www.deloreanclub.uk/ignition-leads-ht-leads.html

[Chris 16409]

The company Magnecore makes high quality spark plug wires. You can search for the DeLorean part number in their catalog. The website is like Web 1.0, it is best to call in your order. The number for their 8mm wires is 6006. Current Price shows $81.40.

http://www.magnecor.com/magnecor1/main.htm

[AugustneverEnds]

I ended up buying the Bougies from AdvanceAuto and the coil wire separately. I found it at eeuroparts.com (https://www.eeuroparts.com/Parts/4134/Ignition-Coil-Wire-1306696/?gclid=COOQmNqTrdMCFYePswodydkOdw)

All fits well, snug and secure. I got my car running today for the first time with the new wires and it started up right away and the misfire I had is gone. I spent around $63, comparable to the $50 Bosch sets DMCH and DPI carry for anyone who is interested in other options or just wants more French content on their car :cool1:

[Bill6298]

I ended up buying the Bougies from AdvanceAuto and the coil wire separately. I found it at eeuroparts.com (https://www.eeuroparts.com/Parts/4134/Ignition-Coil-Wire-1306696/?gclid=COOQmNqTrdMCFYePswodydkOdw)

All fits well, snug and secure. I got my car running today for the first time with the new wires and it started up right away and the misfire I had is gone. I spent around $63, comparable to the $50 Bosch sets DMCH and DPI carry for anyone who is interested in other options or just wants more French content on their car :cool1:

Great research. Does that ignition coil wire look and fit exactly like the original? I could never find a good cross reference part number except for the one listed in the Advanced Auto listing.

[AugustneverEnds]

The fit is excellent. I was a bit concerned when I ordered it that the coil wire would be a bit short but it was just right. Looks just like the original and the 6 spark plug wires, all black with 'Bougicord Autoradio Class C' on 'em. I popped in on some Volvo and Saab forums before I bought these to do some research. Apparently Bougicord Class C is suitable for many, many European cars with straight spark plug wires. Class F is for cars with ignition coils on the wires, won't work on our cars obviously. Nearly all of what I read gave Bougicord very positive reviews for longevity which is what I am most interested in.