The general consensus is if you Take your car to the dealership for repair, you get OEMs(Original Equipment Manufacturer). Going to an independent shop usually means getting aftermarket parts. When it comes to car body parts People normally think that OEMs are better than aftermarket auto body parts, we will dissect if this is true or not.
OEMs
The name says it all, Original Equipment Manufacturer or OEMs are the exact parts your car was built with. Let’s look into the pros and cons of the OEMs.
Pros:
Exact Match: You can make sure that this will be an identical copy of the car body part that needs replacing. On top of that, you might get a year of parts and labor warranty.
One Option: You can rest assured that there is only one product for your car. You are relieved from the hassle of auto parts comparison.
Cons:
Price: OEMs usually cost more than aftermarket body parts, sometimes more than 50% of the cost.
Limited availability: OEM body parts sometimes become hard to get due to delivery delays or manufacturer delays. If you are looking for these parts from an independent garage the chances of delayed delivery increases.
Aftermarket Auto Body Parts
Any car body part made by other manufacturers than the car maker. Most people believe that getting aftermarket body parts may cancel their warranty, which is not entirely true. Getting an exact replacement usually doesn’t cancel your warranty. You should still read the terms of your car’s warranty before getting it repaired. There are plenty of aftermarket parts that function just as well as OEMs, some are even better. Like anything aftermarket car parts have its cons and pros, which will be in the following:
Pros
Price and Variety: The price for the aftermarket auto body parts are significantly less than your OEMs. Because of the low price, it may be that the body part may be of lower quality. There are ways to get around that. If you look for certain products and see if they are certified you can get around it. Also, ask the help of an expert to see if the low prices are too good to be true or not.
Aftermarket auto body parts have a wide range of variety, which means that an aftermarket part might be better than its OEM counterpart. This is because the aftermarket parts are reverse engineered from the OEMs. So using techniques or technology to enhance a certain part is normal.
Availability: These car parts are available all the time. Whenever you need it, even in an independent shop these will be readily available for you. This allows for faster delivery time. Just make sure that the right parts are used.
Cons:
Overwhelming Choices: There are way too many choices for a single part in the aftermarket sector. This can sometimes be overwhelming. Finding the right aftermarket part manufacturer is essential for the health of your car. So if you can’t make sure that you take your car to a local garage that does know what’s going to be the best for your car.
Warranty: There are many aftermarket auto body parts that don’t come with warranties. You need to make sure that you get the ones that do have it. Often times than not you may need to pay a bit extra for warranty on an aftermarket part., but trust me it’s worth it.
So OEMs or No OEMs?
To be honest, this depends on your preference. There are plenty who want to pay the premium price and only use OEMs on their car. And then there are many who will be glad to have an aftermarket part in their car, as it works perfectly and is more cost efficient. But quality-wise there isn’t much difference. Although if your car has been in a collision, I suggest and many other experts do as well that you get OEM parts for the repairs. Now, the ball is in your court to decide the best course of action for your car.
