Engine Sensors OEM or Auto Parts Store Aftermarket

[crazyoildude]

How many people here had problems with auto zone or advance auto or any other auto parts store engine sensors?
I learned a while ago that sometimes especially with camshaft or crankshaft position sensors that although sometimes double or triple the price the dealer is your best bet for a trouble free sensor. I am bringing this up because one of my engine builders has a Chrysler with a 3.3 and every once in a while it won't start it will crank but not start he says he shuts the ignition switch off and waits 2 minutes and it starts up but gets a cel po340 (camshaft position sensor) i think he said. I told him it sounds like the cps and he said he replaced it when it would not start at all i asked him where he got the sensor and he said auto zone i told him he has to get one from the dealer but he thinks they are all the same. He is wrong what does everyone think?

 

[01rangerxl]

Short answer, it varies.

OEM genuine parts can be defective out of the box too. Usually with lower frequency than aftermarket, but it happens.

If a sensor is easy to change and there is a big price gap, I would give aftermarket a shot.

If a sensor serves a really critical function or is difficult to replace, I prefer OEM because the chances of a defect are a little lower. If price is close, I just get OEM.

The lines are getting blurry with brands like AC Delco. If you buy an AC Delco sensor for an older car, it's most likely made in China by some manufacturer that also makes the aftermarket sensors. GM will discontinue "GM Genuine" numbers on older cars and all you can get is an aftermarket grade AC Delco part. I sold an AC Delco oil pressure switch to a shop for a Malibu Classic, and the plastic conntector end shattered when they tried to install it. I ended up swapping it out for a cheaper BWD that worked.

That said, all sensors on my truck...every single one, is Motorcraft.

 

[HerrStig]

I always look for Denso or NTK oxygen sensors, although I think Bosch may sell a lot of those "rebranded" as their own. Sometimes the Bosch is cheaper.

 

[demarpaint]

OEM sensors, PCV valves, and thermostats for me.

 

[spasm3]

OEM for emissions stuff. When i had the 01 escape, i had to replace the egr solenoid. Bought it from autozone. They warranted me 3 of them as they only lasted about 3 months. I got tired of changing them and bought the fomoco one for a bit less than double. Never had a problem for the remaining 4 years i had it.

 

[Vern_in_IL]

It is amazing how cheaply built aftermarket stuff is becoming. A far cry from OEM.

The only aftermarket parts I trust are brake pads and U.S. made oil filters.

When I open a aftermarket box, nothing,NOTHING screams quality. The castings are rough, the part is often universal, with various adapters and plugs...

The only aftermarket parts I buy, are brands that produced the OeM equivalent. My car came with a Denso oxygen sensor, I would buy aftermarket Denso only if the company supplied the OEM part originally...and they never have it in stock.

 

[Trav]

I always check out the aftermarket ones with my own eyes at the store, not just order them online and wait for a surprise.
I bought a VW Kombi valve from AA for $100 VW was $350 The one from AA was made by Pierburg in Spain and the VW was exactly the same, right down to the casting number.
I bought some BWD sensors for a Honda and in the box were OE Honda parts with Honda part # and markings.

All i can say is go look at it first before running off to the dealer and paying 3x the price and more in some cases.

 

[RamFan]

Originally Posted By: Trav
I always check out the aftermarket ones with my own eyes at the store, not just order them online and wait for a surprise.
I bought a VW Kombi valve from AA for $100 VW was $350 The one from AA was made by Pierburg in Spain and the VW was exactly the same, right down to the casting number.
I bought some BWD sensors for a Honda and in the box were OE Honda parts with Honda part # and markings.

All i can say is go look at it first before running off to the dealer and paying 3x the price and more in some cases.


This. You'd be surprised how many aftermarket parts are actually the same part that you'd get at the dealer.

 

[901Memphis]

I got a duralast blower motor resistor for my Taurus and it was a Motorcraft part in the box.

But it does vary and some parts like Dorman camshaft position sensors for Taurus engines are really bad for failing fast and worthy of getting the Motorcraft party from the dealer.

 

[Kruse]

Just a few days ago, I saw a video on YouTube that showed the comparison between an OEM cps and an aftermarket cps. The video showed that the OEM part had a stronger magnet, as evidenced by him picking up a small allen wrench with the OEM and then picking up the same allen wrench with the aftermarket part. It also showed that the aftermarket part had bigger pins, which could cause a problem with loose pin sockets if you replace an aftermarket cps with an OEM cps.
Some aftermarket parts are okay, but a cps is getting into the grey area. BTW, I just ordered a cps for my Jeep Cherokee and it's an OEM part.

 

[01rangerxl]

Originally Posted By: Trav

I bought some BWD sensors for a Honda and in the box were OE Honda parts with Honda part # and markings.


I saw this too when I worked at Advance. I special ordered a BWD coolant temp sensor for a newer Civic. When I opened the box, the sensor was still sealed in a Honda bag with a Honda label on it.

Even non-OE sourced BWD parts are usually pretty good. I don't really like their Ford IAC valves, but their coils seem good along with many of their sensors. Sometimes they will have two grades, so you have to watch for that. For example, a lower grade temp sensor may not have thread sealant already applied, but a higher grade one will. I think it's usually designated by a "P" at the end of the part number, but I can't remember for sure.

 

[Leo99]

Unless you're a pro or somehow have knowledge of a large number of sensors, it's hard to make any educated statement about this. For O2 sensors, I would only use Denso in my Toyotas. They are OEM and not much more expensive than other brands. Some other brand might be just as good and less expensive. If it's something easy to change like an O2 sensor and you want to try a less expensive brand, that is all good. If it's a hard to change sensor that takes a long or tedious time to change, you might want to go with OEM. There are just too many variables to make any generalizations.

 

[Lubener]

I would bet that many makers of the OEM sensors make them for the aftermarket as well.

 

[FowVay]

I have replaced two O2 sensors in the past month, both on Honda vehicles. I always choose Denso for these cars because Denso is the OEM supplier to Honda.

On the Honda Civic, the Denso that I used was an exact OEM replacment right down to the color of the wires.

On the Honda CR-V, the Denso was and exact fit but the harness did not have the retainer grommet that the OEM has and the wiring looked different.

Both sensor replacments wents flawlessly. For any job like this I would try to learn who the OEM supplier is and then buy their aftermarket product. There is big savings to be had with this way.

 

[Trav]

I always check the price of Walker A/F monitors and O2's before buying anything.
They are Denso sensors that are wired by Walker in the USA. The Wiring and connectors is excellent and on the money for color and connector.
I put a set of wide bands in an Infiniti 75K ago and they are doing great, they were $200 less ea than OE.

 

[cmhj]

Having done enough of these to experience problems experience has taught me to go the OEM route. The only time I stray is if it's an old beater that someone is trying to fix for a s/t fix. Or if there's a major price difference I'll give the aftermarket a second look but seldom go that way.

 

[exranger06]

My recommendation is to never buy any sensors from Napa. (And this is coming from someone who works at Napa). The only brand they offer is Echlin, which manufactures nothing but garbage. I've used several Echlin parts, and every last one of them has failed in 2 years or less. Now I only go with OEM for sensors, switches and ignition parts.

 

[eljefino]

I'll do aftermarket 02 sensors if the price spread is big enough. Seems there's more money in the proprietary plug than the actual "thimble" as the splice-em-yourself ones are less than half price. Since Bosch invented the O2 sensor, I've had good luck with them and would use them again, particularly on the rear.

 

[edge10]

On a big price difference with OEM I'll try to get a aftermarket that supplies OEM. But even then it can be hit or miss, especially on an older vehicles. I've had several Standard Motor ICM fail. Two with the OEM number failed in less than a minute, the others no OEM number (aftermarket): 1 yr and just under five yr. These are nothing complicated here just a power transistor, but they are an outsource part made cheap. Seems standard/bwd/Echlin quality is tanking. Reboxing going on between brands too.

As said above, for Toyota a/f sensors I use Denso aftermarket, since they are the same as OEM. Same with some Nissan O2s,Bosch aftermarket is the same as OEM.

 

[HangFire]

When I took my 99 Taurus in for a new Camshaft Position Sensor some years back, the dealer said he was replacing 2-3 per week. So, I'm not convinced that going OEM is the only answer. On the flip side there's a lot of outright junk in the aftermarket. It seems you have to research each and every application. That's where vehicle specific forums excel.