Question on parts for modern car

[blown motor]

My wife has a 15 Nissan which was up for the annual NY state inspection. The check engine light was on, which is an automatic fail, so as a pre-emptive strike I went to Autozone and had them run the codes. It needs a VVT sensor and cam position sensors. Cam position sensors are super easy to replace so I did those using $40 Autozone sensors. I couldn't get the codes reset and Autozone says it's not legal for them to cancel codes. Could well be, I can't argue that one. We take the car in for inspection, the garage cancels the codes and tells us to put 100 miles on it. At about 70 miles the engine light comes on. Codes say VVT solenoid and cam position sensors.
Now here's what all the preamble is about. The garage claims that some of the aftermarket sensors are no good, not compatible or some such thing, and they will only use Nissan sensors at $120 each! Does anyone know if this is really true? I'm just trying to educate myself for next year. The other really annoying thing in all of this is that they charged an hour labour to change the cam sensors and I did it in the driveway in less than a half hour. Grrr!

[Katfish]

No idea on that exact issue, but have heard similar stories on other brands/sensors.
But, I bet Nissan doesn't make the sensor, probably Bosch or some other name brand
What brand is the AutoZone part?
I'd check RockAuto, they have multiple choices and even carry manufacturers PNs.

[TX9AAR]

I worked at a friend's shop I ordered parts and did estimates when it came to electrical parts we always tried to use OEM not sure if this applies to your situation. We also only used parts made by Dorman if nothing else was available.

[ec_co]

Unfortunately the market's been semi flooded with Chineseium and fake parts over the last several years. So yeah, it's definitely a thing.

[blown motor]

I worked at a friend's shop I ordered parts and did estimates when it came to electrical parts we always tried to use OEM not sure if this applies to your situation. We also only used parts made by Dorman if nothing else was available.

That's this shop does, only OEM. The aftermarket parts have several different price points, even from the same retailer, but no way for people like me to know what the difference is from one to the next. Part of me thinks a lot of these are all the same. So were the Autozone parts I bought really not good or was the garage scamming us? How do I know?

[EV2RTSE]

My wife had a Hyundai Santa Fe for a number of years and I went through some of the same kinds of things, after a while I learned from some of the forums that in Hyundai's case the Auto7 brand is either one of their OEMs for the company or of similar quality to their OEM and so I would always try to buy that line whenever possible for things like coil packs and various sensors.

We bought her a little BMW Z4 roadster after I finally gave up keeping up with the Hyundai at 235k miles and when the MAF sensor went on it I of course found that the OEM BMW MAF is very expensive, but after going on some of the forums everyone said that nearly all of the cheaper aftermarket brand MAFs you can get for the car are no good. I did find that Hella makes a great MAF for a lot of the BMWs but I couldn't find it here in the US. So I actually found a supplier in Europe that carries it and I don't know how they did it but the shipping here was not much more than something from here in the US, and the price of the part itself was also the same as the cheap aftermarket stuff available here. I've also found Bosch to be a good brand for things like starters and alternators on the BMW.

So long story short definitely try to check some of the Nissan forums and find which brands are best to use and if in doubt OEM is worth paying more for when it comes to electrical components.

[EV2RTSE]

It sounds like there's more to the problem you're having, sometimes the codes need to be "deciphered" more to find the true problem.  If you have all the codes do a search along with the year and model and you might luck into someone else that had the same problem.

As another example, one time the BMW had some problems shifting, the trans would go into limp mode and throw codes. We took it to the dealer, they read the codes but couldn't determine the exact problem, they sent the codes to BMW in Germany and their answer was "replace transmission, $6500".

The car only had like 40k miles on it so I was skeptical. Went on the forums and found that even a partially low battery can cause all kinds of havoc with these cars. So I bought a new battery, and while I was at it changed the fluid and filter in the car, and almost 75k miles later haven't had another problem with the transmission. Knock on wood. It did also happen in the middle of winter. So with all of the cold weather and snow and ice possibly you're experiencing a similar issue.

[HP2]

Agreed that with multiple codes, it could be a indicator of an entirely separate issue as a combination of those codes rather then those individual items. This secret combination of failures is another way the manufacturers are trying to eliminate owner and aftermarket service.

Also agree that OEM branded, or OE manufacturer items are more robust and work better in electrical items. Its also rare that an auto manufacturer to make their own electronic parts and in electronics, it could be Bosch, Delco, or some other manufacturer (I'm not sure who the largest Japanese provider may be) snd if you can find out who this is, you can get the OEM quality without the OEM price tag.

[blown motor]

The car is fixed now and the new inspection sticker is on. We're good for another year. Next time I'll be older and wiser.

[Jay Bee]

OEM parts are what's recommended on my Toyota forum. There's a lot of DIYers over there that had problems using off brand parts. Then there's the counterfeit ones to watch for that claim they're OEM. So to answer the question, IMO, yes it's a thing.

[jimynick]

The car is fixed now and the new inspection sticker is on. We're good for another year. Next time I'll be older and wiser.

So what was it Murray?

[tparker]

Ugh, this  topic triggers me. LOL

I have heard this and I think there is some merit to it, but it isn't common. I have changed out a ton of parts with the cheaper one and they pretty much work. But I am sure many others have had the opposite experience.

So for me, it usually isn't the reported part that is the problem. It is something else.  My cam sensor was a bad wire. I had a bad NSS code but turned out to be the computer. I replaced several NSS's, rebuilt all of them, bypassed the existing wiring, swapped fuses, relays, and cussed a lot. The only thin left was the computer. On my other car, I was getting transmission error codes and it finally died. I replaced a few parts but it turned out to be the computer.

The computers are prone to failure, probably because they are used in an inhospitable environment, full of heat and vibrations. Todays wires and connectors get fragile. The plastic and wires don't do well with heat. This can cause cracks, fraying, grounding, shorting, etc. Parts in general are cheaper and inferior. I don't think that means they won't work, but their lifetime and tolerances are much lower than quality parts.

My Son in Law has his first "smog" test, Californias vehicle test, and his car failed. The EGR valve failed. He was quoted something like $2500+. I laughed and said that should be a $20 part, ok may be $100 at most. Turned out it was $400 or more and the cooler it connects to is $1000. Turns out the part is not available. There is no ETA one the part will available. All the Chevy volts from that year +/- a year or two that have this common issue can't get there car fix and pass the smog inspection. Now its a giant paper weight.

I am honestly trying to figure out if I can make it without buying a car with a computer. An old duster or valiant. LOL I bough a 66 D100 and that is one of the great things, I just go and can fix most anything. Sure the A/C sucks, it doesn't have one. The Doors get HOT in the summer when you rest your arm on them. Doing 65 on the highway is an adventure, and braking while staying in your lane is a bit of a game. LOL.  But the wiring works, no computer issues. etc.

[ec_co]

Compared to the cost of a new vehicle today, you could update them however you want to be a good daily driver. Add AC, improve the suspension and braking, add soundproofing and a better sound system. You're still way ahead.