# Certified vs. aftermarket air fuel sensor **URL:** \ **Category:** Maintenance/Repairs\ **Tags:** toyota, camry\ **Created:** [September 29, 2010, 11:20pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/certified-vs-aftermarket-air-fuel-sensor/55764 "2010-09-29T23:20:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![jb8009](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9a140/32.png) [@jb8009](https://community.cartalk.com/u/jb8009)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2010, 11:20pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/certified-vs-aftermarket-air-fuel-sensor/55764/1 "2010-09-29T23:20:17Z")
Got a 6-cylinder 1999 Toyota Camry at 132,000 miles. Check engine light came on so I took it to my mechanic who diagnosed the problem as a air fuel sensor replacement. Quoted the work for $450. I’m wondering if this is one of those repairs that should be done at the dealership to ensure replacement with a certified Toyofa part? Do aftermarket air fuel sensors have high failure rates? ---
**Author:** ![Rod-Knox](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a183cd/32.png) [@Rod-Knox](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Rod-Knox)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2010, 11:25pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/certified-vs-aftermarket-air-fuel-sensor/55764/2 "2010-09-29T23:25:16Z")
Could that be an O2 sensor? An itemized estimate should give a part number. Post that here. ---
**Author:** ![BustedKnuckles](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/bustedknuckles/32/25_2.png) [@BustedKnuckles](https://community.cartalk.com/u/BustedKnuckles)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2010, 11:34pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/certified-vs-aftermarket-air-fuel-sensor/55764/3 "2010-09-29T23:34:36Z")
Is this the Oxygen sensor? Is this for one sensor or all four? Does this include labor? I found that Toyota’s are very particular with sensors. Some aftermarket sensors may just not work right. But, Denso sensors, the same one’s Toyota uses, are available out there, and far cheaper than the dealer wants for them. I found Denso sensors for your Toyota at [https://www.rockauto.com/catalog/x,carcode,1357488,parttype,5132](https://www.rockauto.com/catalog/x,carcode,1357488,parttype,5132) for about $75 apiece. ---
**Author:** ![jb8009](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9a140/32.png) [@jb8009](https://community.cartalk.com/u/jb8009)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2010, 12:28am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/certified-vs-aftermarket-air-fuel-sensor/55764/4 "2010-09-30T00:28:22Z")
Thank you so much for your comments. I really appreciate them. I was referring to the air fuel RATIO sensor, which you probably know as the fancier wide range oxygen sensor. Sorry, I just realized that I forgot to include “ratio” which may have caused the confusion. The air fuel ratio sensor seem to be significantly more expensive than the narrow range oxygen sensors by about triple the amount (online prices). Haven’t gotten a written estimate from the mechanic yet- just communicated over the phone- so I don’t have a part number. I was told that the one air fuel ratio sensor that the Camry has (true?) needs to be replaced. BustedKnucles: Just the type of confirmation that I needed. Thanks. I had a feeling that anything related to computers should be Toyota-certified. By the way, I also checked with the dealership who advised me to ensure that a Toyota certified part be used even if I take it to an outside mechanic (no surprise there). Surprisingly, however, they quoted pretty much the same price as my local mechanic ($100 less if you don’t count their diagnostic service fee) so I might just take it to the dealership and give my aging Toyota the Big Business/The Man treatment. ---
**Author:** ![Rod-Knox](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a183cd/32.png) [@Rod-Knox](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Rod-Knox)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2010, 3:22am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/certified-vs-aftermarket-air-fuel-sensor/55764/5 "2010-09-30T03:22:45Z")
Everyone wants to be important and playing games with nomenclature seems a good way to impress the uninitiated. Bustedknuckles link seems right on target for your inquiry, jb8009. Your car has Denso sensors from the factory and those on the link are apparently the exact same part that the dealer would install. It might be of great benefit to you to get itemized estimates for repairs, though.