BMW 6 Series Glow Plugs Replacement Parts

Only the diesel variants of the BMW 6 Series have glow plugs — petrol engines do not use them at all, so if your car runs on petrol you will not have glow plugs to replace. The diesel 6 Series engines include units such as the 630d and 640d, and it is these cars where glow plugs are a genuine service item. If you have a petrol 6 Series and are chasing a cold-start or ignition fault, you will want to be looking at spark plugs or ignition coils instead.

The BMW 6 Series F06/F12/F13 generation ran from 2011 to 2018, so a 2015 640d sits within the same broad generation, but the 630d and 640d use different diesel engines with different engine codes, meaning the glow plugs are engine-specific rather than model-wide. The engine code — found on your V5 or via a VIN check — is the single most reliable way to confirm whether a plug from another car will match yours. Always confirm compatibility with the breaker against your registration before buying.

Body style makes no difference to glow plug fitment — the plugs are determined entirely by the engine, not whether the car is a Coupe, Convertible, or Gran Coupe. As long as the engine codes match, the glow plugs are interchangeable across body styles within the F-series 6 Series range. Give the breaker your engine code and registration and they can confirm the correct part straight away.

Trim level has no bearing on glow plug fitment whatsoever — SE, M Sport, and any other specification of the 6 Series all use the same plugs provided the engine code is identical. The glow plugs are a purely mechanical engine component and are unaffected by interior, cosmetic, or trim-level differences. Focus on the engine code rather than the trim badge when searching for a used set.

Most BMW diesel engines of this era are inline six-cylinders (such as those in the 630d and 640d), meaning there are six glow plugs — one per cylinder — so you should expect to buy a full set of six if replacing all of them. When buying used from a breaker, confirm the engine code matches your car, as different diesel engine variants may use plugs of different specifications. It is worth asking the breaker whether the plugs being sold have been tested or are being sold as removed-for-spares, so you know what condition to expect.

The F-series 6 Series ran from 2011 to 2018 with a facelift introduced in 2015, but glow plug fitment follows the engine code rather than the facelift date, so plugs from a 2015 car may well be compatible with a 2012 car if the engine codes match. However, BMW did make running changes to components across a model's production life, so whether the specific plugs are identical is something you should confirm with the breaker against both registrations. Providing your engine code gives the breaker the clearest basis to check compatibility accurately.