Hi all,
Yesterday, my car was diagnosed with a faulty AF/O2 sensor (front - Subaru seem to confuse the two when I call them, everyone else I ask says "front or rear", Subaru insist on calling them "top or bottom"), which may explain why it's chewing fuel at a ridiculous rate (16+L/100km in gentle driving) - replacement plugs have been fitted, silicon hoses are now all fitted (MAF hose, turbo inlet and throttle-body), and the car has been smoke tested and come up clean for boost leaks.
Subaru want $580+ for a replacement (they advised that it's recommended that it's replaced every 75,000km too). I have a feeling that may be a little more than I really need to pay.
I've found plenty of references to these part numbers online, and prices vary wildly.
Questions:
1. Should I stick with genuine? If so, are there any reliable sources of genuine parts from overseas I can trust to get me the part at a decent price?
2. If there are after-market/non-genuine options, what do I look for? There's plenty of AF/O2'lambda sensors listed online, but which one do I want/need?
3. Once I do have a replacement sensor in place, is there anything I can do to check that it's actually working correctly? I'm concerned that the ECU hasn't picked up the error (yet measuring resistance across the sensor apparently shows it plainly).