How to Buy a Good Quality Speedometer Sensor

Modern vehicles are great: they offer so many advanced features to help keep you safe on the road. The speedometer sensor is one of those great inventions – created to help you keep to a safe speed and not speed up more than you expected to while you’re daydreaming (you know it happens!) and to keep you out of the eye of interested policemen everywhere.

Your speedometer sensor is located at the back of the output shaft of the transmission - it tracks the rotation of the wheels and the crankshaft in order to monitor your vehicle’s speed. It supports the cruise control mechanism by sending a pulse rate to it that let the cruise control know whether to speed you up or slow you down. It’s important to also support an ABS (anti-lock braking system) because it keeps wheels rotating at the same speed. Having a damaged speed sensor can make for dangerous driving, because you could be going much faster than you realize and get up to dangerous speeds quickly.

A few things to keep in mind about speed sensors:

  • Location type: There are two main types of speedometer sensors: engine speed sensor and wheel speed sensors. Both do essentially the same job, as they calculate your overall speed and deliver that information to other areas of the vehicle as well as to the driver via the speedometer, but the type of sensor you need to replace will vary based on the problem you’re finding with you vehicle.

  • Optical vs. magnet: There are two key types of sensors: optical speed sensor versus a permanent magnet.

    • Optical: Conventional speed sensors use an optical VSS made up of a photo cell, two-blade mirror reflector, and an LED. The reflector generates an electrical signal which is used to monitor speed. While the optical speed sensor is widely used, due to the number of moving parts it is much more likely to fail than a permanent magnet.
    • Magnet: Permanent magnet sensors can provide much more accurate information about direction, speed, and position and the fact that it doesn’t have many moving parts helps it last longer, too.
  • Aftermarket vs OEM: Aftermarket sensors are likely to be of about the same standards as OEM parts for these sensors, just be sure you’re getting the best quality sensors that you can afford for a longer life.

Note: The size of your tires can affect your sensor’s accuracy, so recalibrate if your tire size has changed.

YourMechanic supplies top-quality speedometer sensors to our certified mobile technicians. We can also install a speedometer sensor that you've purchased. Click here to get a quote and more information on speedometer sensor replacement.


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Recent Speedometer Sensor Replacement reviews

Excellent Rating

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Rating Summary
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Chris

23 years of experience
2372 reviews
Chris
23 years of experience
Chrysler Sebring V6-2.7L - Speedometer Sensor - Costa Mesa, California
As always Chris dignosed the problem quickly and correctly. The repair was almost as quick and very reasonably priced. He has worked on six of my cars over the years and I wouldnt even think about using anyone else
Chevrolet Silverado 2500 HD - Speedometer Sensor - Menifee, California
Good knowledge of vehicle , answered all my questions , knew what he talking about , very competent mechanic . I highly recommend him .

Rigoberto

12 years of experience
739 reviews
Rigoberto
12 years of experience
Jeep Liberty V6-3.7L - Speedometer Sensor - Chicago, Illinois
Not only did Rigobertos did an excellent job in repairing my car, I actually saved some money from the original price quote.
Jeep Liberty - Speedometer Sensor - Chicago, Illinois
Rigobertos brought my car back to life after it was not drivable for five months. His knowledge and professionalism is top notch.

Jose

16 years of experience
213 reviews
Jose
16 years of experience
Pontiac Grand Prix V6-3.1L - Speedometer Sensor - Duluth, Georgia
Jose was very professional, was on time (actually a bit earlier than expected which was just fine for me) and did the job in a timely fashion. There was a mix up with the part but he went out and was able to get the correct one, at no extra charge for me, and he even made sure that everything was working afterwards. Did a great job and would definitely recommend to friends and family.
Buick LeSabre - Speedometer Sensor - Roswell, Georgia
Jose was punctual and professional. He did an excellent job fixing our speedometer. We've already booked him for another gig. Thank you for this service!

Kenneth

21 years of experience
870 reviews
Kenneth
21 years of experience
Kia Spectra L4-2.0L - Speedometer Sensor Replacement - Los Angeles, California
Kenneth is a very nice guy who explains everything in terms you can understand. No question is a dumb question to Kenneth and, for women at least, that makes a lot of difference. He was on time on both occasions, returned calls and texts promptly, and does everything to keep your car running. My car may need more extensive repairs than what could be done at my home, but Kenneth provided hope that it probably wouldn't come to that. He knows I'm concerned with passing smog, so he offered to come back and check it prior to that. He also offered tips and pointers on what to do if the problem persisted. I appreciate his timeliness and honesty.

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