German or Russian W7DC

[gspd]

I've always used German Bosch Super W7DC spark plugs in my bike.
For a few years now, my local Bosch dealer only stocks WR7DC resistor plugs, claiming that the W7DC plugs are NLA. Web searches mostly confirm that.
The only place I could find the German W7DC's was from BMW, at a much higher price, part # 12 12 9 062 594.
I found a place on ebay that had W7DC's at a much better price so I ordered them.
I received them a few days later and to my dismay they were made in Russia, not Germany, and didn't look the same as the German ones.
I contacted the seller to see if I could exchange them for German plugs or return them for a refund and mentioned that their ad did not state the country of origin which I deemed misleading.
The seller did not reply within the allotted time so ebay issued me a full refund.
So now, I have 8 free Russian W7DC's.
Any opinions if these are as good as the German ones?
Would you use them in your bike?
I noticed a few airhead aftermarket part suppliers are also selling these Russian plugs, so I guess they're OK.

[daz]

This is from NGK:
How do I identify fake spark plugs?

Inspect font type and signs of smudges on the spark plug

Look out for a machine cutting mark on the caulking (could indicate a counterfeit)

Check the hexagon for a LOT number and the correct font type

The C-groove portion show machine cutting marks (could indicate a counterfeit)

Have a close look at the electrode. Compare to a genuine product's electrode

[melville]

You can still get German Bosch plugs?

Mostly I've gotten Bosch plugs made in the lesser EU countries, whether I've gotten them from a BMW dealer or the VW hot rod shop. No issues.

Russia, though???

[daz]

Melville! You've been had!

[melville]

The bastards!!!

[Rob Frankham]

Melville! You've been had!

Not completely sure about that. Bosch do (or at least did until the latest Putin madness) employ some 3000 people in Russia. Don't know if they make spark plugs there but it certainly wouldn't surprise me if they did.

Rob

Update...

Unconfirmed confirmation (i.e. from the internet) until May 2022 when Bosch closed down it's factories in Russia, they were indeed manufacturing spark plugs there...

R

[daz]

Ok, I was joking about Melville being taken. But really NGK has a problem with counterfeit plugs. At least that's what I got from the web so it has to be true.

[barryh]

Bosch as a whole company make very few things in Germany these days. That doesn't necessarily mean quality is compromised but you have to think it could be possible. I recently put in a new kitchen with all Bosch appliances and not one item was made in Germany.

As to the plugs, ethics would not allow me to buy anything made in Russia from now on although those plugs will have been made before the war so there is little point in rejecting them on those grounds. I've been using non resistor Nippon Denso plugs for years now as they are readily available and reasonably priced.

[gspd]

As to the plugs, ethics would not allow me to buy anything made in Russia from now on although those plugs will have been made before the war so there is little point in rejecting them on those grounds. I've been using non resistor Nippon Denso plugs for years now as they are readily available and reasonably priced.

I was initially wary about these Russian plugs for technical reasons.
I was mostly concerned about poor metallurgy or counterfeiting.
Now that you brought up the political side, I dislike and mistrust them even more.
I doubt I'll ever use them.
Maybe the British sellers did not respond to my exchange/refund request because they were trying to liquidate a product that nobody would knowingly purchase if they knew of its origins. Maybe they didn't want any 'press' about their company selling Russian products in this time of war.
They gave me a full refund, no questions asked, and I still have the plugs.
If any of you want to stock up on these plugs or try them in your bikes for free, order some and then open a dispute based on country of origin. You should get a full reimbursement from ebay if the sellers do not respond, and I doubt they will.
It looks like some popular and legit U.S. airhead aftermarket part suppliers that we all deal with are also selling these plugs. I won't name them here, and as my ebay supplier did, they don't show or mention the country of origin in the pics and description on their websites, so I guess it's buyer beware.

Note: My ebay refund is presently displayed as an 'authorized transaction', I think it only becomes 100% official when it becomes a 'posted transaction'.

[Zombie Master]

So is this a case where getting vaselined at the dealer is a better investment?