Hi guys,

I am shopping for a camshaft position sensor for my '97 Volvo 850. Can someone explain why there is such a wide range of prices online? On google shopping I get results ranging from $40 to $175 while my auto repair shop is quoting $260. Would it be a bad idea to go for a $40 part (manufacturer is World Source One)? Is my repair shop overpricing the part? I am not sure where to find reviews for different vendors.

 

My local stealer priced me at $265 just for the part. I got one from the jy for $5. Still starting and running strong after 8 months.

 

The dealer is almost always going to be expensive but usually it's always good quality. Once in a while they have a good price but some times they have it and you need it now and that's the only place to go.
A shop has to buy it someplace and then resell it to you so you can always do better than their price. If you do get it from a shop you should find out if the "place" they get if from offers a better warranty than the shop. They likely aren't going to tell you who they source from but if pushed you might get them to amend the shops 6mo 6K or 12/12 warranty or whatever they offer to the longer suppliers part warranty because they can get it covered from their source (NAPA, Advance, Red Rooster ...)free. Needless to say they aren't going to extend the labor coverage but at least if it fails you would have longer part coverage.
The stuff you buy on line usually, usually doesn't have as good a warranty and if you have a problem it's not like you can pull it off and get an exchange same day and be back on the road. They save money on not having inventory as most stuff is shipped from a warehouse in a different location, no staff like an auto parts store and that line of sight warranty. They pass some of that savings on to you.
On some parts it's hard to tell the difference. When I bought a new ignition switch for my 850 from Oreilly it had "Volvo" cast into the housing so I know it's the same part the dealer sells and likely Autozone, IPD, FCP and rockauto. So for something like that it's easy. Go for lowest price and quickest availability.
Other parts are different and that's where it gets interesting. There are times it's the same part (some exhaust mufflers) and the price difference isn't quality it is strictly warranty. You'll pay more for the lifetime warrantied part but you're not getting any better quality.
Distributor caps and rotors are easy to spot too as the "economy" one is usually made with aluminum contacts and the better quality ones have contacts that look like brass. It being a harder and better conducting metal than aluminum.
Most parts there are different manufacturers and different levels of quality. Electrical rebuilders are the worst. In a lot of cases the "1 year" stuff is basically cleaned, repaired and then sold. Where the lifetime rebuilt stuff is actually remanufactured and except for the case or body of the part and some internal parts most of the internals are replaced with new.
Most importantly, a 1 year warrantied part doesn't mean it will last a year. The more important or critical the part is to the functioning of the vehicle the more realistic it is to consider buying a better quality part. That and the more difficult it is to get to the part or the additional costs (fluids lost, hoses damaged, labor if not doing it yourself ...) of having to replace it should be considered before you get a used or cheap part.

The cam position sensor
From pictures of the part the Standard Motor Products, Airtex and Wells parts look to be identical from casting marks in the housing. The FCP photo is of the inside so I can't tell. I bought mine at Autozone and the outer housing has no casting marks. I bought it there because I have an account and it carries a lifetime warranty. Bosch has an excellent name in the business but except from other peoples experience this is a part I'd have a hard time figuring out what quality you're getting.