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Date:         Thu, 8 Mar 2001 13:05:43 -0500
Reply-To:     The Bus Depot <busdepot@EMAIL.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         The Bus Depot <busdepot@EMAIL.COM>
Subject:      Re: O2 Sensor Replacment options
Comments: To: Mark Keller <kelphoto@ISLANDNET.COM>
In-Reply-To:  <3AA7A49E.590E9277@islandnet.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"

> So my conclusion is that for me a Vanagon specific O2 sensor is a better > choice for peace of mind.

It's hard to disagree with that. But at what price? You would be paying a pretty penny for that peace of mind.

Given that the Vanagon-specific 13931 is over four times the price of the supposedly functionally identical 13913, it would have to last four times as long to be a better value. Is it worth 4x the price for the peace of mind? Well, consider that, in my experience, the failure rate on the cheaper one has been extremely low (2 units in five years, with many hundreds sold). And that even in the event of a failure, the sensor can be disconnected, so such a failure would be unlikely to result in an inoperable vehicle. And that replacement of the part, should it be needed, is not difficult anyway. And that while we have some evidence that the sensors are functionally identical (the U.S. Bosch distributor's listing of it as a replacement, plus the widespread use in the field), we have no evidence that it isn't. (The Bosch rep's response to you essentially said that he could not rule out the _possibility_ of it being different, but not that it was different. Essentially he was saying he didn't know. And consider that Bosch certainly isn't going to be very much inclined to tell you that yes, they've been charging Volkswagen owners $140 for a part that they've been charging Ford owners $40 for.)

So you can see where this is leading me. Speaking as a Vanagon owner, I personally wouldn't spend the extra money. There are many instances where it is silly to buy the cheaper part, as it is almost certain to cause grief and/or considerable extra expense in the long run. And as a retailer, who makes more money selling more expensive parts than cheaper ones, I'm the first one to point that out when it's the case. But in my estimation (as a Vanagon owner looking at the empirical evidence; I'm not an engineer), this just isn't one of those cases.

Then again, for those who disagree with my reasoning, both are on my website, and I'll be more than happy to relieve you of an extra $100. :-)

- Ron Salmon The Bus Depot, Inc. www.busdepot.com (215) 234-VWVW


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