The knock sensor is said to be the computer’s ear to the engine. It helps the computer sense whether the engine is working properly or not. When it fails, you will notice that something is off with your vehicle. The drive quality will definitely suffer.
A faulty sensor won’t let the engine accelerate as intended, causing a drop in fuel mileage. By the way, the computer will alert you of a knock sensor issue by illuminating the engine light. When the engine light turns on, you should get your car checked by a mechanic.
How Much Does a Knock Sensor Replacement Cost?
Generally, the price of knock sensor replacement will sit between $250 to $400. The knock sensor by itself won’t cost you a lot. It sells for around $60 to $75. That said, the labor fees for knock sensor installation will vary with each car, depending on the make and model.
Auto Center | Price |
---|---|
Walmart | $35 - $250 |
Mr. Tire | $200 - $375 |
Midas | $235 - $400 |
Your Mechanic | $215 - $385 |
Based on where it’s located in your car, it can be difficult to extract it for replacement. Where more labor is involved, the invoice amount will definitely creep up. Following this logic, expect some price fluctuation in the labor rates.
Can You Drive With a Failing/Failed Knock Sensor?
Although you can drive with a damaged knock sensor, you will start experiencing its drawbacks while driving. From loud noise, diminished engine performance, low fuel efficiency, a bad knock sensor will definitely have a lot of impact on your car’s functionality.
In the worst-case scenario, a faulty knock sensor can damage the engine, causing you to spend thousands and thousands on repair work. Needless to say, the cost of a new knock sensor will be a fraction of what a damaged engine replacement will cost you.
How Does a Knock Sensor Replacement Procedure Work?
The first step would involve diagnosis of the car’s computer to find out the exact cause of the issue. If the mechanic determines that the knock sensor is at fault, he will unscrew it from its place to make way for the new sensor.
Keep in mind that it can be a tough affair to access the knock sensor in some cars. So, extracting it can be a time-consuming job. Anyways, when the new sensor is in, the mechanic will clear all the trouble codes and perform a road test to see how good the replacement has been.
So, How To Save Money?
You can reduce the total cost of the repair by half or even more by performing the work yourself. These days, you can also get the necessary car part from an online or offline store. Of course, if it’s a very rare car, then leave the repair work to the experts.
It won’t always be a cup of tea to attend to a problem of this sort. In scenarios where you need to hire a car technician, provide the part on your own. If a bad knock sensor has damaged the engine to the point where you have to spend thousands of dollars, access your vehicle’s worth before spending top dollars on it.