Sometimes, we can find ourselves pulling out some money to replace car parts. After taking our vehicle to a garage to get the issue rectified, we’re usually given the choice of using Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) parts or aftermarket parts.
So, what are the benefits and disadvantages to both?
What are aftermarket parts?
Aftermarket parts are vehicle parts that are copied from the original manufacturer. They are produced after an aftermarket company has bought the rights to create the parts, meaning that they will be made to fit and perform as well as the original part — even if they may have a slightly different appearance.
Parts that you decide to use for your vehicle should not have an impact on your warranty status.
The advantages
You can benefit from purchasing aftermarket parts, an example of this would be that they cost considerably less than those sold by the manufacturer.
You should be assured that they are likely to maintain the same quality as those sold by the manufacturer. This is because many aftermarket companies will conduct thorough research to establish why certain parts tend to fail and then design their parts based on their findings.
As there are a lot of companies building these parts to sell, there is a lot of variety for replacements for your vehicle.
The disadvantages
You need to make sure that you do the right research when buying new parts, as you don’t want to buy parts that have been made with cheaper quality products. The golden rule is that if the price appears too good to be true, it’s likely that there will be a hidden catch.
It is also wise to know that some products are sold without a warranty to support it so it is best to check before purchasing.
What are OEM parts?
These types of parts are those that have been produced by the same company that made the originals. As a result, an OEM part will be identical to the one that came in your vehicle when it first rolled off the production line — only without the car maker’s logo etched on it.
The advantages
The greatest advantage of this is knowing that you are purchasing from experts with this particular part, they made it originally so they will be able to help you buy the correct product that you need.
It will not show a shift in your driving as it will be the exact same part you’ve used previously. The majority of OEM parts come complete with a warranty too.
The disadvantages
A disadvantage to purchasing this type of product would be that they cost significantly more than aftermarket parts.
In addition, you are not guaranteed better quality when choosing OEM parts over aftermarket items either. Although you’re not promised greater quality part when purchasing an OEM says car radiator repair company Advanced Radiators. This is due to a collection of aftermarket companies carrying out research to find out why original parts fail and then working to rectify the known issues when designing their equipment.
