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Good luck with your current project. I try my best to make calculated/informed decisions, and to pay almost half the labor cost ($165) upfront (in the form of additional cost for the parts) as a 12 month insurance policy on the labor didn't seem like a smart bet. I assume there is much less then a 50/50 failure rate, which would put me ahead of the game, but as my statitics profecssor used to say, "you're not doing hundreds of samples... in this one instance the result will either be '0' (failure) or '1' (no failure)". As i know a little, but am far from being a mechanic, i just wanted to confirm that i was making a smart decision and not trying to save money where i should be willing to spend a bit more.

My Denso: $60/each x 3 pieces = $180 Mechanic OEM: $115/each x 3 pieces = $345 Difference: $165

Correct... i'm supplying the parts but an indy shop is doing the work. The downside of using my own parts is that if a part is bad, i'm on the hook for the labor a 2nd time (vs. full 12 months warranty if going with mechanic's parts). The above (Rock Auto) indicates that Diamond is the OE. I've never seen/heard them mentioned on the forums, but generally have heard very good things about Denso (although not directly related to ignition coils).

Thanks for the reply. While i agree that OE products are not needed in every instance, and there are some instances where a quality aftermarket may be better then the original equipment, an ignition coil is not something i would want to cheap-out on. Maybe in the front bank where it's an easy replacement (and if i kept a spare in the trunk), but with 3-4 hours worth of labor rates to access the back bank this isn't a part i would look to be penny-wise / dollar-foolish (which is why i'm trying to be pre-emptive and replace the other two coils, and the spark plugs, while they're easily accessible... although some may consider this to be the foolish part ;) ) I have read stories online of bad aftermarket coils (cheap ones) which is why i'm trying to confirm that Denso is considered to be an acceptable replacement and one of the better ignition coils (or if it's "just as good as" the OE). Thanks again.

2007 RX350 70K miles I have a bad Ignition Coil #5 which unfortunately is in the back bank. Since these are tough to get at i am going to have my independent mechanic take care of this, and will replace the other two ignition coils at the same time. (as well as all 6 spark plugs: DENSO 3426 / FK20HR11 Iridium Long-Life (SIP)) I ordered: DENSO 6731309 Coil on Plug DENSO coil interchanges with OE Diamond coil; Diamond is the OE supplier for this vehicle As it appears that Denso is not the manufacturer of the stock ignition coils, are these an acceptable replacement? I know to stay away from cheap aftermarket products for something like an ignition coil, but will these be 'just as good' as Toyota/Lexus branded coils? Am i making a mistake not going with the Toyota/Lexus OE? The OE Lexus/Toyota part will cost $115/each... the Denso coils above about $60/each. Thanks for any input/comments. EDIT TO ADD: those spark plugs are the ones that should last 90K-120K??