Cam Position Sensor Price Disparity
Thread Starter
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Fleet Mechanic
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 1,852
Likes: 39
Cam Position Sensor Price Disparity
I went to the local dealer today to pick up some parts for my '02 SC. I decided to buy a Cam Position Sensor while I was there, ignoring the little voice in the back of my head telling me to check the prices online first. I paid $125.
Then I came home and looked aorund online, and found what appears to be exactly the same thing, same Ford bag and everything, for $49. I expected there to be a disparity in pricing, but not more than double! The dealer's price on everything else was fine, belt, hoses, antifreeze, etc.
So I took the thing back to the dealer, and fortunately they refunded my money without giving me any grief. I told them that I would rather do business with them locally, but not in a situation like this. They told me that their cost for the part from Ford is $90, and they suspected the eBay part might be counterfeit, but many people in the forums say the online ones are fine, and again it looks like exactly the same part, in exactly the same sealed bag, and the vendor has a 99.8% positive rating, with over 1800 feedback posts.
Anyone have any insight on this?
Then I came home and looked aorund online, and found what appears to be exactly the same thing, same Ford bag and everything, for $49. I expected there to be a disparity in pricing, but not more than double! The dealer's price on everything else was fine, belt, hoses, antifreeze, etc.
So I took the thing back to the dealer, and fortunately they refunded my money without giving me any grief. I told them that I would rather do business with them locally, but not in a situation like this. They told me that their cost for the part from Ford is $90, and they suspected the eBay part might be counterfeit, but many people in the forums say the online ones are fine, and again it looks like exactly the same part, in exactly the same sealed bag, and the vendor has a 99.8% positive rating, with over 1800 feedback posts.
Anyone have any insight on this?
Senior User
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 351
Likes: 1
From: In the Georgia Pines
well it couldnt hurt to shoot the ebay vendor an email and ask them how they get the CPS's and why their so cheap... they do alot of business on ebay and sound very reputible. i got mine off ebay and havent had a problem
-mike
-mike
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Post Fiend
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 20,589
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From: Charlotte, NC
FYI......Bought mine at the nearby International dealer for $103 a little over a year ago..........Figure probably need one about every 50000 miles.......I'll just go to the source.......
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Laughing Gas
Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 790
Likes: 35
From: Austin
Sounds like its just simple capitalism at play. The dealer charges that much because they can.
The lucky ones (us) know better, buy a spare in advance, and so we can spend that saved money on other useful things.
The unlucky ones have to pay street price to get their ride working again.
The lucky ones (us) know better, buy a spare in advance, and so we can spend that saved money on other useful things.
The unlucky ones have to pay street price to get their ride working again.
Thread Starter
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Fleet Mechanic
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 1,852
Likes: 39
I am definitely still inclined to buy one of the eBay ones, I am just really curious as to how they pull this off. I think I will try mjlewis approach of e-mailing the vendor. I will report back with what I learn.
What I would really like to do is find out why these things fail in the first place. Are they a coil, and is the wire breaking and becoming intermittent? Or are they a Hall-effect device? Has anyone ever torn one apart to see what breaks? I would love to do that, and I have a fair amount of electronics failure analysis experience. If someone has a broken one lying around that they'd like to part with, I would pay postage...
What I would really like to do is find out why these things fail in the first place. Are they a coil, and is the wire breaking and becoming intermittent? Or are they a Hall-effect device? Has anyone ever torn one apart to see what breaks? I would love to do that, and I have a fair amount of electronics failure analysis experience. If someone has a broken one lying around that they'd like to part with, I would pay postage...
Hotshot
Joined: Jan 2002
Posts: 17,988
Likes: 207
From: La La Land
Originally Posted by KelVarnson
If someone has a broken one lying around that they'd like to part with, I would pay postage...
I started down this road and ran out of time and desire to finish it with jigs and gauss meters, etc. Other things called louder.
I still have a couple of intermittant CPS's that members sent me last year, and I'd be happy to send them off to you as a "starter kit".
PM me at the address below.
Pop
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Fleet Mechanic
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 1,852
Likes: 39
Originally Posted by SpringerPop
I still have a couple of intermittant CPS's that members sent me last year, and I'd be happy to send them off to you as a "starter kit".