The Pelicanparts tutorial on changing the O2 sensor claims that the connectors are critical to the functioning of the sensor because it gets reference air through the connector, and thus recommends against soldering the MBZ connectors onto a universal O2 sensor.
Since the MBZ part costs six times what I can get a new universal part for on That Auction Website, I need to know if there's any truth to this claim, and/or if there's a way around it.

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RIP:
2011 E350 BlueTEC, Schwartz 81k (totaled by uninsured drunk driver)
1964 Unimog 404.1 (wrongfully towed by the city)
1994 E320, Brilliantsilber 208k (transmission shuffled off after sudden catastrophic fluid loss)
1982 300D, Silberblau under a blue repaint 256k (sold for parts)
1995 E320 Polarweiss, 131k (sold for parts)
1995 E300D Polarweiss, 287k (totaled by drunk driver)