Among the market providers of lambda sensors, it is not uncommon to come across the so-called universal lambda sensors. There are a lot of reasons why using a universal type sensor is not a good idea.
Triscan lambda sensors are solely vehicle specific plug & play sensors in OE-quality (Triscan # 8845 11100 – BMW 116i)
The obvious reason in the short term is that by choosing a universal lambda sensor you need to consider a lot of things – of which most can be a source to errors and failure:
The connector
Some mechanics prefer to reuse the connector - others do not. Depending on your choice you need to consider the following:
- If you are going to reuse the connector: You need to ensure that it is in a condition to be reused? Has it been exposed to heat, corrosion or other environmental impact that may influence its ability to safeguard a 100% intact connection?
- If you are not going to reuse the connector: By cutting of both connectors from the wiring harness it will be quite a struggle to go back to using a vehicle specific plug & play lambda sensor.
Soldering
Joining the up to 5 wires by means of soldering leaves a weak spot for many reasons:
1) Wires can mistakenly be connected wrong, because the colors on the universal lambda sensor wires are very often not the same as the colors on the vehicles wiring harness.
Example of different coloring of the wires on the vehicle harness and the universal lambda sensor
2) There is a risk of doing “cold” soldering.
Example of cold soldering
Example of correct soldering
Insulation
Each of the up to 5 soldering spots need to be insulated in a proper and long-lasting manner.
Encapsulation
The up to 5 soldered and insulated wires need to be encapsulated in a proper and long-lasting manner to withstand cold, heat, moisture, oil, salt and dirt.
Labour time
What is your labour cost? Does the price difference between a universal and plug & play lambda sensor cover your labour cost? Is it worthwhile running the risk of failing doing the soldering, insulation and encapsulation correctly?
Claim rates
Because of the above-mentioned sources leading to errors, it is obvious that claim rates on universal sensors are usually very high. Is what at first glance seemed to be saving a little money better than ensuring the wholesaler, the workshop and not least the car owners a trouble-free repair with a long service life?
Besides the obvious reasons mentioned above there are a lot of other good reasons which explains why choosing Triscan vehicle specific plug & play lambda sensors in the first place and in the long term is a good idea and why there is a price difference.
• Triscan sensors are specifically tailored for each application – this is not the case with universal sensors. This means that a vehicle specific plug & play lambda sensor is manufactured according to specific demands on protection, can design and heater rating. Differences also exists in internal grounding arrangements in the sensor itself, harness, connectors, and grommets where required.
• The specification of the materials used meet and exceed the standards of the vehicle manufacturers - this includes the sensor body, the plastics used in the connector block, and even the connector pins themselves.
• A lambda sensor is a difficult and time-consuming item to manufacture. Forming the sensing element is a complex process and so is the coating process where correct metals in precise quantities must be applied.
• All aspects of the sensor's function will be correct, including insertion depth and protection tube design as detailed above, and heater wattage rating.
Cheap universal sensors leave out some of these fine finishing processes to reduce the amount of time to manufacture, and thus reduce costs. The result is a sensor that may work for a short time but will most often cause problems after just a few months’ time.