Hello,

I have a '96 850 Turbo sedan, and the CEL came on recently. I took the car to Autozone and found a P0133 code for a defective front oxygen sensor. I don't know that I trust my mechanic abilities enough to attempt to change the sensor myself, nor do I have access to ramps to elevate the car anyway. Can anyone give me advice on where I should get the sensor replaced (i.e. dealer vs. independent)? And perhaps the amount of resources (financial, time, or anything else) I should expect this to require? Lastly, is it feasible to ask the mechanic at either location not to run a diagnostic so I can keep the price down as much as possible?

Thanks
Chris

An original equipment part would be about $200. Labor should be an hour or so.

I don't think a reputable or competent mechanic would work on a car without him/herself independently verifying the customer's complaint. In this case it means re-reading the codes to see if the same one is present and/or if new ones might have appeared. This is easy to do and wouldn't with an honest shop incur an extra charge if they were going to go ahead and do the job.

This is not a specialized repair and a dealer would provide no advantage. The only issue is as the other post suggests, being sure the correct oxygen sensor is used. Use of the wrong one can be a problem especially if your state or town has emission testing.

There can be various reasons for an oxygen sensor code even if sensor is not bad, such as vacuum leaks - see posts from Klaus. If your car has any performance deficits or poor driveability symptoms, tell the mechanic about them.

Previous information here has stated that alot of parts shops have the wrong O2 sensor listed for the 850. It's been posted that it should be Bosch 12077864B00 or equivalent.