Hi all,
My 1998 M3 is overdue for replacement of all four O2 sensors. So should I spend the $250/per and go with genuine BMW parts, or is it OK to save a little $$$ and put in aftermarket sensors? What are the cons of going with the latter option? I only want the best for my car so I'll probably just go with the BMW stuff but I figured I'd open a discussion here and see what others have to say.....
Choose from here, OE or OEM, excellent source for quality parts!:
https://www.fcpeuro.com/BMW-parts/M3...998&m=20&e=195
There is no need for genuine parts in this case. I've had great success with FCP Euro. The OE vs OEM vs Genuine article they have is a great read
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I've had excellent luck with NTK sensors.
Those O2 sensors are the major factor in mixture control. Choose wisely.
See ya later,
tony
'98 M3, '92 Dinan3, '05 R1100S BCR, '07 R1200S, Aprilia T
Thanks everyone. I'm still leaning towards genuine BMW. For those who've used other sensors, did you have any issues with mixture control? I don't wanna cut corners, but lots of maintenance issues have shown up at once and I'm trying to find the most practicable solution.
I've been using Denso for years and have had no issues. I drive the snot out of my car on the track with an aftermarket tune. I wouldn't even bother replacing the rear sensors until they fail. Then when they do, replace those with the front sensors you've taken out. The rears are only for cat efficiency checks. The front ones are what really matter.
1999 BMW M3
S52, 3.5 HFM, 24lbs injectors, Epic 93-octane tune, BimmerWorld y-pipe, race exhaust, and brake cooling, 3.46 gear, Ground Control 525/650, Koni SA, Ground Control front sway bar, Wilwood calipers, ACT HDG6 clutch, gutted, reinforced, caged, and other things
Great info Solaris99! I like to drive my car hard as well, so I've been wondering if my driving style would kill non-BMW sensors. It sounds like you've tested this theory pretty extensively. What kinds of symptoms would you have if just the rear sensors were failing???!!!!
When I first bought my E36 M3 I went through this same issue and did a shitload of research. Basically what I concluded are the NGK 25013 will work just as good as the genuine BMW ones. The independent mechanic I went to wanted $1400 to replace all 4 sensors and reset the computer. I bought 4 through amazon prime ($256), installed them myself in probably 3 hours and took them to the same independent mechanic to have the computer reset and what not. They almost shit their pants when I told them I bought them on Amazon and were sure there were going to be issues. After doing all the work I could see how hard it was for them to say "well all the sensors are reading correctly....For now"
That was back in 2016 and I have had no problems since.
Do yourself a favor and buy these and don't look back:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Last edited by Alpine 318is; 03-20-2018 at 01:45 PM.
1999 BMW M3
S52, 3.5 HFM, 24lbs injectors, Epic 93-octane tune, BimmerWorld y-pipe, race exhaust, and brake cooling, 3.46 gear, Ground Control 525/650, Koni SA, Ground Control front sway bar, Wilwood calipers, ACT HDG6 clutch, gutted, reinforced, caged, and other things
Does BMW even make oxygen sensors for the e36? I would guess they are some other approved brand in a BMW box (maybe even NTK as mentioned). Same thing with ABS sensors my $20 ones work just fine didn't feel the need to spend $125 for genuine BMW ones. If they work, they work.
For the E36 cheaper does not necessarily mean worse or that it won't work as sometimes it's the same part in a BMW box (like e36 genuine bmw rotors are just brembos).
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