discodancer

Hi guys

I need some advice on aftermarket MAF sensors for my 01 plate Bugeye. An OEM part seems to be £200+, a local garage sourced one for £200, a friend at Unipart quoted me £140 and a business seller on Ebay (ah_ltd) with 411 feedback is selling them new for £45.99!

Has anyone got any experiences of aftermarket sensors (good/bad) or even experience of this seller?

Splitpin

Genuine Subaru part at a better price here.

No experience of the aftermarket seller you're talking about but a few points to bear in mind if you go this route:

First of all, a badly calibrated sensor can, if you're unlucky, cause you major engine damage far more costly to fix than the saving you made. If you have an AFR meter, knock monitor, datalogger or some other method of checking that the engine is running optimally, then it's a far less risky way forward than if you don't.

Secondly, once you've shelled out, provided you're not unlucky you should get a good few years' use out of it.

discodancer

Thanks for the linc. Seems like a good price for a genuine part. How much would p&p be though I wonder?

Any other comments regarding reliability of aftermarket MAF sensors would be welcomed.

The seller I mentioned is selling loads of MAF sensors et al and has lots of positive feedback.

Would an aftermarket part not last as long as a genuine part? How could they be different?

Splitpin

They normally do it by weight but send special delivery so probably around a fiver.

It's possible, or they might last as long and not read accurately from the day they're fitted, which is potentially worse.

They're quite complicated electronic devices and so can vary in any number of ways. They might be made from slightly different components that give a slightly different airflow vs voltage output. They might have a slightly different component design or potting compound used which makes them more prone to vibration-induced damage, to give you a couple of examples.

Although it's also possible that an aftermarket sensor might be an identical replacement for the OE one in every way. As I said in my first post, if you have a way of knowing whether or not the performance of the new sensor is accurate then you're insured. If not, then it's a much more marginal decision.

As you say that seller has lots of positive feedback, but, for better or worse, the reality is that most of that will come from buyers who've simply fitted the sensor, started the engine and found that it runs better than it did on the broken one they just removed. That doesn't, in itself, mean that the sensor's a perfect replacement, or that it'll last as long as an OE one would have.

discodancer

Thanks for your advice