I'll let you know how my cousin makes out if he gets these plugs. Maybe Bosch just hasn't bothered to upgrade the older stuff to newer specs because it isn't worth the bother, or these are total crap and a gimmick. If he gets them I'll let you all know how it works out. I'm guessing at least one or more of the current ones is defunct based on how it starts cold now. Hard for me to diagnose things half way across the country though so we're doing our best to narrow it down and get the car in good order.
Patents might be one reason Bosch didn't upgrade.
However, they're cheap enough to try them out and see. I bought a set for my 1.9td but sold that motor before I even tried to start it. Now I have a 1.9TDI-M so the next glow plugs may be a while.
Yeah my TDI plugs have lasted about 195,000km so far, but I'm going to change them now before winter as a precaution since I have little in the way of a garage here.