subject: The Quality Of Aftermarket Auto Parts [print this page] The Quality Of Aftermarket Auto Parts
Marketing is everything our days and every car manufacturer will tell its customers to buy original parts for their cars because they are the best. What most customers do not know, regardless of car they own, is that many of the companies do not make their own parts so the OEM original equipment manufacturer is nothing but a big lie.
Many companies use the services of outside totally independent companies that fully design their parts, and after a certain period of time, they begin to sell these car components to wholesale distributors for resale which we now as OEM parts. The same situation is why the production of their parts other makes it and the big company sells them as official and original components.
How they do it? Aftermarket companies purchase the legal rights that allows them to reproduce specific car parts and after that they supply them to the same wholesale distributors that will sell them to the final consumer as OEM automobile components. There are many cases in which an aftermarket company improves the quality of the parts which shockingly, results in a higher quality in comparison to the original components.
These aftermarket components are manufactured by using the exact same machinery and materials used in OEM and genuine components, and they perform just as good as the original ones, if not better in some cases. Although these parts might have very little differences in terms of look and feel, they are basically the same and they perform identical to the original product. The only obvious difference is in the price, a very big difference if you ask us.
As far as the safety issues are concerned, while many aftermarket car components have come under scrutiny and their safety qualities have been doubted in the past, there is no need to worry in the present as IIHS Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, which conducts crash tests, affirmed that there is no problem with this car parts and customers could purchase them without any possible risks.
Back in February 2000, IIHS conducted a very developed study on a 1997 Toyota Camry. They removed all the original equipment and they installed only aftermarket components. The study showed very similar results to the original 1997 Camry built by Toyota. IIHS affirmed that: "both Camry's performed with distinction in 40 mph frontal offset impacts, and both earned good crashworthiness ratings according to the Institute's evaluation procedures."
More than that, the president of IIHS, Brian O'Neil said that: "Claims are made that using cosmetic parts from sources other than original equipment manufacturers could compromise safety. But these claims are red herrings to try to frighten peoplethere are no safety implications of using cosmetic crash parts from any source."
It is important to point out the fact that many of the aftermarket components are designed exclusively for certain car models and certain years for each specific model which means that potential buyers must be very attentive when selecting the right aftermarket component. The good part is that we are not obligated to pay those ridiculously high prices for OEM parts. We can get at least the same quality for a significantly lower amount of money.
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