Removing coil packs

[846]

Trying to remove the coil packs on a Mk7 90TSI 1.4L, so that I can replace the spark plugs.

I have the VW tool (with the shaft that inserts into the bolt hole and then expands when you wind it up).

I got two of the coil packs out (it wasn't easy though!) but with the other two the top part of the coil separated from the tube that actually goes into the spark plug hole.



There's a better photo in this thread:
How to remove ignition coil units (with pics) | Up Owners Club
in which he suggests inserting the top part back on and pulling it out again, but this doesn't work at all for me and I can literally jut pull it back off by hand, without even using the tool.

Is there any way to get these out and save them?
Or should I just go at them with pliers and buy 2 new coils?

And just so I know... is there something I could have done to avoid this or is it a common issue on these?
I never could have envisaged replacing spark plugs being so hard!

[h100vw]

I have a long right angled pick. Push it down the side of the plug hole twist through 90 degrees and pull up
Otherwise, push the coil back into the rubber. Warm the engine up. Then try again, just pull up and hold the tension on it without pulling the pack out of the rubber. They usually come out after a short while.

[Lucas_R]

Similar to above, I was going to say try it with a warm engine although that may not be possible now that you are half way through the job. The rubber/silicone on the coils gets softer in the heat and they tend to be easier to remove on a warm engine.

[846]

OK I might try it again with the engine warmer, but I'm fairly confident it won't work, judging by how easily the coil separates from the tube.

I was so happy with how easy oil changes are to do on this car but this has made me lose faith in Volkswagen DIY viability, like why can't they make coil packs the same as all the other manufacturers!

[846]

Had another go, got 3 coil packs out this time and replaced the 4th.
New plugs are slightly different to the old ones - at the end of the thread, they are longer:



(new one at the bottom)

The old ones were Bosch plugs installed by a local VW mechanic, the new ones are NGK PZKER7A8EGS.
Thinking they might be wrong, I called up Repco and the guy cross matched the genuine VW part number and these are what came up as the replacement.
I installed them and the car seems to run fine but can someone explain why this is, or if I am likely to cause damage?

[brad]

could it be the Bosch are wrong?

Coil on plug are very common and personally, I've had a world of pain with traditional spark plug wires/boots over the years so I see no difference

[846]

Well I looked up the part number on the Bosch plugs.
Both it and the NGK part number are listed as replacements for the OEM VW number.
No idea how that works but I'm guessing if any catastrophic damage was going to happen it would have happened already (plus there would probably be some info about it online since surely someone else has bought NGK plugs for a Golf before!)

[brad]

It's an odd one.

NGK or Denso are my preferred brand. Haven't used Bosch for years