I have to replace one of my coils, but when I went shopping for a replacement, I ran into the "Type" issue. What is the difference between a "Standard" and a "Direct" type?

I was looking at this page, Ignition Coil - Auto Parts Warehouse and see a number of different coils, how do I know which one is right for my truck? I can get a STANDARD MOTOR PRODUCTS Part #FD503T for $16 from Rockauto.com, More Information for STANDARD MOTOR PRODUCTS FD503T but it says its a direct type, the standard type, Part #FD503 is almost $20 more.

2003 F250, V10 Triton

 

punch in your truck to the first website and you'll see your options. The coil Type is COP (coil on plug). Choose the Motorcraft brand. My local dealer was half that price (after I bought a couple of 'em).

 

I did punch my truck into that site, and it gave me a list of compatible coils. Which brought me to my original question, what is the difference between a "Standard" and a "Direct" type?

 

The difference is the "Warranty" period.

The FD-503 has a 3 year/36,000 mile warranty.
The FD-503T has a 1 year/12,000 mile warranty.


STANDARD MOTOR PRODUCTS Warranty Information
Ignition, emission, engine control, & fuel system parts - 3 year/36,000 mile. Control modules (ignition, ABS, etc.)- Five years/50,000 miles. Remanufactured electronic products and engine control modules - 12 month/unlimited miles. Return & rebuild parts have same warranty as new parts. Premium wire sets - Limited lifetime. ProSeries wire sets - 5 years/50,000 miles. T-Series parts - 12 months. All other products- 90 day/3,000 miles.

 

Ok, I get that. But what is the difference between a "Direct" and a "Standard" Type injector? Many manufactures list both types, and I can't find anything about which one my truck uses. The Motorcraft is a Standard type, so I assume this is the replacement type for my truck, but how do I know???

 

The terms "Standard" and "Direct" are only used in the AutoPartsWarehouse.com website. They are not used on RockAuto.com website. If you look at the Accel COP's (8-Pack, Part# 140032-8), it is listed as a "Direct" part on the AutoPartsWarehouse.com website. The same Accel COP (Single, Part# 140032) is listed as a "Standard' part on the AutoPartsWarehouse.com website. IMO, AutoPartsWarehouse.com website is using BS terms to designate their parts.

ACCEL brand | Part #: 140032-8

ACCEL brand | Part #: 140032

Accel's website says "These are direct plug replacements for OEM coils" on BOTH COP's.

I think that you are making an issue out of something that does not exist.

 

I would like to think so, however I ran into this when I went searching at a number of different sites, APW and RockAuto were not my only stops when I went shopping, it was just a weird thing to see that the "type" was differentiated. IMHO, every one of these is a direct fire type and the term "standard" for type is a generic term used to designate a OEM replacement. Anyway, I ended up going with this one, Car Part Wholesale - Auto Parts and Accessories Catalog - Replacement Ignition Coil But only cause it listed the type as "standard" which matched the Motorcraft type, ok, not only, at $18 it was a decent replacement.

 

Here is a "Live Chat" I had with AutoPartsWarehouse.com today. As you can see, no one knows that difference between "Direct" and "Standard" types of COP's.

Having worked as an Oracle IT Consultant for the past 5 years, I can tell you that the product information (spec's and descriptions) are rarely maintained by companies. This area is called Content Management. What companies do is create templates (Oracle calls them Catalogs) for product specifications. Unless the company creates unique templates for every type of part, the "generic" template has fields that DO NOT APPLY to many parts. However, the employees feel that they MUST put something in the generic field, even if it does not apply to the part. In short, they are adding erroneous data to the part, which appears on the website.




10:07:52 AM : Sage: Hi, my name is Sage. Thank you for contacting us. How may I assist you today?


Andrew Saine: I am looking at the ignition COP's for my 2003 Ford F250 with the 6.8L engine. I see that you designate some as "Standard" type and others as "Direct" type. What is the difference between these two types?



Sage: I'd be happy to help you with that.



Sage: Are you referring to the ignition Cap?



Andrew Saine: No. I an looking at the Coil-On-Plug or COP for the Ford modular engine.



Sage: Let me see what we have available for you. One moment, please.



Andrew Saine: For example, you list the Accel COP (Part# 140032-8) as a "Direct" type and the same Accel COP (Part# 140032) as a "Standard" type.



Sage: One moment please while I check into that for you.



Sage: What is the submodel of your vehicle?



Sage: What is the submodel of your vehicle?



Sage: Lariat
XL
XLT



Andrew Saine: XLT



Sage: Is it an in cap coil type ?



Andrew Saine: I an looking at Coil-On-Plug or COP's. I provided the manufacture part #'s above. Part# 140032-8 is for the Accel 8-pack of COP's and Part# 140032 is for the Accel individual COP.



Sage: Thanks for your patience!



Andrew Saine: Your website calls them Coil Packs.



Sage: The part numbers you suggested are an exact fit for your vehicle specifications and you will need 10 of them since yours is a 10 Cyl 6.8L engine .



Andrew Saine: What is the difference between "Direct" and "Standard" types of COP's?



Sage: Please hold on checking on it .



Sage: Please be patient as it may take me a few moments to do the research for you.



Andrew Saine: Ok.



Sage: Thank you for waiting. I appreciate your patience.



Sage: Thanks for your patience!



Sage: They both have the same features the only difference is the quantity .



Andrew Saine: Then why do you call the 8-pack a "Direct" type and the individual a "Standard" type?



Sage: I have checked it with the manufacturer and they say These are direct plug replacements for OEM coils.



Andrew Saine: I recommend that you contact your department that sets-up items (Part#'s) to better understands the differences between "Direct" and "Standard" types.



Sage: Please hold on let me double check it with them too .



Sage: I have checked it with them and they say that thee has been an error made and it will be rectified soon.



Andrew Saine: What was the error?



Sage: It was the one you were asking for the direct and standard.



Andrew Saine: Did they tell you the actual difference between these two types?



Sage: They are the same items and the only difference is the quantity sold.



Andrew Saine: Ok, thanks Sage!



Sage: Do any of those interest you?



Andrew Saine: I am still looking...



10:48:09 AM : Sage: Are there any other questions I could answer for you?


Andrew Saine: No. Thanks again.



Sage: Thanks for chatting! Don't hesitate to chat with us again if you need anything else. Please take a moment to rate the service you received during your chat. Just simply end the session by clicking the EXIT button to be redirected to our survey page.

 

Mgfranz, $18 for a COP is very cheap...my Ford dealer was about $32 each. Not sure if anyone else here can endorse those aftermarket COPs...but since its something you only do every 100K miles, I stayed with the Ford COP.