What's new
By:
Filters

OEM vs aftermarket vehicle sensors

Wheelin66bronco

Wheelin66bronco

Pure Blood
Joined
May 20, 2020
Member Number
447
Messages
776
Loc
Star Valley, Wyoming
Are oem sensors really better than aftermarket?
It's 2024, not 1985. Plus, they're all made in China.
I have several non-dealer mechanic buddies that still say to always buy oem sensors, but can't explain exactly why.
I'm working on an 06 6.0, needs ICP sensor. Dealer is $180, other parts stores range from $60-165.
What say thee?
 
Anectdotally, the failure rate I see on non OEMs overall is about 20%, the failure rate of OEM, I don't think has ever happened to me so acdotally about 0%. I understand these aren't the actual failure rates, but that's what I know. So if I'm changing an O2 sensor that takes longer to get the tools than to do the work, I'm saving a few bucks on non OEM. If it's he fuel rail pressure sensor on the back of my CRD that takes me all fuckin day, It's OEM. Also depends on what I'm dealing with. If it's my crawler that is just a fun vehicle, I'll put cheap shit on it. If it's my DD that's a pain in my ass if fails, I'm more likely to spend a few extra bucks.

ETA not all non OEMs are created equal. a Bosch sensor is a Bosch sensor no matter where I buy it.
 
For a sensor like that OEM or Alliant is the only way to go.

on average Standard is OK. Duralast is 50% garbage, master pro from oreilly is 50% garbage, random shit on Amazon is 90% garbage. Dorman is guaranteed to leave you on the side of the road at some point.
 
Thumping said:
To me it depends on how much of a pain in the ass it is to get to and replace. If its a bitch, OEM. If its easy, then aftermarket it gets.
Click to expand...
Sometimes that matters.

OP has a sensor that is easy to get to but if it fails it can pump all his oil out the side of the motor or worse into the wiring harness at 1500+ psi.

Fuck taking a chance on that.
 
OEM is usually the cream of the crop. Works 999% of the time, lasts a long time.
OES is second. Works 99% of the time, lasts the same.
Aftermarket Third. Works 95% of the time, doesn't last as long.
Then the bobo, non-name, misspelled chink shit at the bottom. May work, may not work. What's your time gamble worth?

For you particular sensor, figure out what company makes it for Ford and buy that brand. Perhaps Delphi?:confused:
 
Here's 2 brand new non oem sensors that were junk within 10mi. Went oem and still good.
1000002386.jpg
 
My Tacoma seems to reject any non OEM parts, so that's usually what I throw at it. Evreytime I have used an after market sensor on it, it has not fixed the problem or it failed again within a year. Stab an OEM one in there and it's happy again
 
My wife's honda could eat a $20 chinese O2 sensor in 6-9 months, the $100 nippon denso that went in after 3 consecutive short-lived cheap-o failures if still fine now 3 yrs and counting down the road.
 
I can't say I've actually been bitten by bad aftermarket sensors but my 06 TJ is the last year of the 4.0L and it's about 18 years old. Less and less actual Mopar stuff is made for it. I usually buy OEM if it's available never from the dealer unless they are the only ones who have it.

I did have to replace a parts store Alternator on my grandpa's F450 because it needed a motorcraft in order to turn off the battery light. That was like a $450 alternator if I remember right.
 
I have battled the AC in my truck. (2004 gmc)
I have had 3 bad aftermarket controllers straight out of the box, and the one that's in it now seems janky.
 
Not sensor related, but the whole OEM vs aftermarket...

09 Mazda 3 had a blown out aftermarket top engine mount. I did my American duty and replaced it with a set of Chineseum motor mounts off Amazon (laughing at the comments above about amazon being trash...not wrong).

Whole lot of motor rocking because it's just garbage with the massive voids in the rubber damper and its like seemingly not connected to the cast part of the motor mount whatsoever.

Got annoyed, looked online and drank the kool aid and got a poly mount. Holy fuck did it work...a little too well. Turned my beater car into a fucking race car. Car found all sorts of new vibrations I never knew I had. Dash rattles, engine noise went up like 100x worse. To be fair, that fucking motor didn't rock AT ALL :lmao:. I dealt with that for about 10,000 miles and one day I was like hmm...how much is a no bullshit OEM, 'oil filled' motor mount? When the OEM's wear out, they leak the oil out of them. Shit was expensive, like $200 or some bullshit.

But then.

I installed it. Fired it up. And if I didn't see the tach sitting at 800rpm and idling, I would have told you the car wasn't running. Not. A. Single. Vibration.

The heavens parted the skies, the angels sung. Holy flying monkey shit. This OEM mount is amazeballs. I would have paid $500 for this fucking thing.

No more dash rattles, cabin noise at highway speed went down to normal. Motor doesn't rock back and forth like a piss poor china mount. It's so quiet that I drove without the radio on for like two weeks because I was like "holy shit I feel like I'm driving a brand new Cadillac" :laughing:
 
Depends what it's in. Some stuff is more tolerant of aftermarket sensors than others. Japanese stuff and Cummins seem to be the most picky. Sometimes the OE supplier isn't even good enough. I had a customer's Silverado kill AC Delco oil pressure sensors once a month till we got one from the dealer.
 
TrikeKid said:
Depends what it's in. Some stuff is more tolerant of aftermarket sensors than others. Japanese stuff and Cummins seem to be the most picky. Sometimes the OE supplier isn't even good enough. I had a customer's Silverado kill AC Delco oil pressure sensors once a month till we got one from the dealer.
Click to expand...
Shit, I didn't even think of that. I have heard cummins is particular. I'm fighting a long term P0299 Map sensor issue and just remembered I put an O'reilys sensor in it when It initially broke down and I was going to replace with OEM. I need to get an OEM one, especially since it's my personal long term vehicle.
 
Brand matters. In the ones i deal with non oem sensors don’t pair or cause random faults. OE sensors just work.

I find the OEM sensors other places though because many car makes use Delphi etc.
 
Otto M@n said:
Not sensor related, but the whole OEM vs aftermarket...

09 Mazda 3 had a blown out aftermarket top engine mount. I did my American duty and replaced it with a set of Chineseum motor mounts off Amazon (laughing at the comments above about amazon being trash...not wrong).

Whole lot of motor rocking because it's just garbage with the massive voids in the rubber damper and its like seemingly not connected to the cast part of the motor mount whatsoever.

Got annoyed, looked online and drank the kool aid and got a poly mount. Holy fuck did it work...a little too well. Turned my beater car into a fucking race car. Car found all sorts of new vibrations I never knew I had. Dash rattles, engine noise went up like 100x worse. To be fair, that fucking motor didn't rock AT ALL :lmao:. I dealt with that for about 10,000 miles and one day I was like hmm...how much is a no bullshit OEM, 'oil filled' motor mount? When the OEM's wear out, they leak the oil out of them. Shit was expensive, like $200 or some bullshit.

But then.

I installed it. Fired it up. And if I didn't see the tach sitting at 800rpm and idling, I would have told you the car wasn't running. Not. A. Single. Vibration.

The heavens parted the skies, the angels sung. Holy flying monkey shit. This OEM mount is amazeballs. I would have paid $500 for this fucking thing.

No more dash rattles, cabin noise at highway speed went down to normal. Motor doesn't rock back and forth like a piss poor china mount. It's so quiet that I drove without the radio on for like two weeks because I was like "holy shit I feel like I'm driving a brand new Cadillac" :laughing:
Click to expand...

Having owned and worked on many many Mazda 3's that were modded from those two generations (2004-2009 and 2010-2012) on the same platform (I owned an 06 sedan and a 2010 speed 3)...there's three mounts - the passenger mount (the oil filled one you changed), the transmission mount on the other side under the battery, and the rear motor mount at the back underneath. The oil filled ones always puked eventually but you had to leave them stock, all the aftermarket ones were WAY too harsh. The transmission mount was best with an aftermarket poly bushing insert that you just put in the stock mount to fill up the holes. The rear motor mount is where you'd go aftermarket, usually a 60 duro was where it was at. That was the sweet combo though, not sloppy like stock but not full race car vibes. Would really calm the stupidly bad wheel hop down on those damn cars.
 
Just find the OE equivalent and call it a day. Ford is not making the sensor, someone is making it for them. Just did it with my Audi. Needed new injectors, Audi wanted $400ea, Rockauto had the SMP branded injectors for $240ea, word on Facebook was the SMP were just OE continentals in a different box and sure as shit they were with the Audi 4 rings and everything:laughing:
 
Alpine4x4 said:
Just find the OE equivalent and call it a day. Ford is not making the sensor, someone is making it for them. Just did it with my Audi. Needed new injectors, Audi wanted $400ea, Rockauto had the SMP branded injectors for $240ea, word on Facebook was the SMP were just OE continentals in a different box and sure as shit they were with the Audi 4 rings and everything:laughing:
Click to expand...
Lots of Standard stuff for Fords is the same part with the Motorcraft numbers ground off
 
OEM all the way. Or whoever the maker is, ie. denso, acdelco, bosch, motorcraft, etc
 
OK this isn't about a sensor, but a slave cylinder for the clutch on a 1991 Jeep Wrangler. It's 33 years old now and the slave cylinder lasted this long, so I'm not inclined to go through the cost of converting to the later model external slave. It's only got 143,000 miles on it so my thoughts are that it sat alot, and now that I bought it and am driving it alot more, seals are starting to go out. I've got a wheel cylinder leak that I already got parts for, etc.. but I'm trying real hard to find a good replacement clutch slave that won't fail in 6 months. LUK has a heavy duty clutch and slave kit but I'm not sure if LUK is a good brand. Thoughts?
 
Oem for my work truck and Toyota that I take to the rubicon. Aftermarket Amazon trash for the Jetta and non critical vehicles.
 
I still have PTSD from aftermarket tfi's.

And more recently, aftermarket Ford frequency output type map sensors.
 
Drummer79 said:
OK this isn't about a sensor, but a slave cylinder for the clutch on a 1991 Jeep Wrangler. It's 33 years old now and the slave cylinder lasted this long, so I'm not inclined to go through the cost of converting to the later model external slave. It's only got 143,000 miles on it so my thoughts are that it sat alot, and now that I bought it and am driving it alot more, seals are starting to go out. I've got a wheel cylinder leak that I already got parts for, etc.. but I'm trying real hard to find a good replacement clutch slave that won't fail in 6 months. LUK has a heavy duty clutch and slave kit but I'm not sure if LUK is a good brand. Thoughts?
Click to expand...
Luk was the stock clutch on my 2001 Ram CTD. I replaced it with another Luk when it went out. That was probably 8 years ago. No problems.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top Back Refresh