The 9 Most Unanswered Questions about
- February 5, 2020
Important Factors to Know about Aftermarket Parts
Have you ever been curious on why parts from the dealership vary in price from parts from the parts store in your neighbourhood? Aftermarket parts are parts not manufactured by automakers, while parts produced by automakers are called Original Equipment Manufacturer or OEM. Courtesy of huge demand for specific parts, aftermarket parts manufacturing and development occurs. A good example of aftermarket parts are oil filters. Because all fuel powered vehicles need regular oil changes, suppliers of aftermarket parts offer alternative choices to purchasing oil filters from the parts department of car dealerships. The greater the volume demand for a specific part is, the greater the number of aftermarket parts suppliers, who manufacture alternatives to original equipment parts.
Aftermarket parts generally have different opinions, and for plenty of reason. First of all, aftermarket parts are created as options for vehicle repairs, meaning that they can be for better quality, warranty, availability or less expensive. The reasons for buying and using aftermarket parts are as individual as the people buying them.
Aftermarket parts have numerous benefits compared to original equipment. Warranty is among the benefits of aftermarket parts. While most original equipment parts have a warranty of one year with specified mileage, usually 12,000 miles, aftermarket parts offer various warranty options ranging from final sale, to life warranty and everything in between. For people that are greatly concerned about longevity in future costs, opting for aftermarket parts with very long warranties is the way to go.
Manufacturers and suppliers of aftermarket parts usually offer clients different grades of quality for different parts e.g. brake pads. Customers have the privilege of making their selection on a good-better-best basis, with prices differing based on quality. Additionally, the best parts are expected to come with the top-rated warranty, since most manufacturers seek to back their best products with the best warranty.
The number of aftermarket parts manufacturers and stores is greater than the number of car dealerships therefore, it is expected that whatever part you seek will definitely be available. Most car dealerships are a limited on the amount of stock they can hold, and how much an automaker can allocate a high demand part to each parts department. Aftermarket parts suppliers are hardly affected by such limitations, therefore high demand parts out of stock in car dealerships are usually stocked by aftermarket parts suppliers.
The cost of a replacement part is not always the most prioritised factor, but it still plays a role in the decisions made. Compared to original equipment parts of similar quality, aftermarket parts have a tendency of being cheaper.
