Well, so much for me being the "devil's advocate".....After reading this thread (and many others under the search function), I decided to yank one of the Bosch's and check it out for myself. while the electrodes weren't melted, they certainly were worn!! I went out to Autozone and picked up a set of Autolites and put those in (with a .054 gap). I have to say that these are a marked improvement...not a huge one, but one none the less. i figure after a few tankfulls of gas, I should know whether or not this swap has done anything to appreciably help mileage. For 5$+ per plug, i guess I would have to agree with others who say stay away from Bosch's! To have that much wear(within 20k) on a "platinum" plug is unacceptable.