February 13, 2021
When it comes to talking about fixing a car after an accident or for its regular maintenance, car parts are usually brought up in conversation. Before taking your car in for a service, you need to know which car parts the dealerships use when servicing your vehicle. Let’s find out more about genuine car parts and non-genuine parts (aftermarket/generic parts) and how they could affect your car.
When engineers design a motor car, they thoroughly test each part's function to ensure that they comply with the best quality, safety and performance standards.
Generic parts may look similar or even identical to genuine parts but have been manufactured by companies that are not affiliated with the original manufacturers. Generic parts are also more attractive to motorists because they could be considerably cheaper than the genuine parts.
In the past, vehicle manufacturers have always been adamant that only genuine parts or Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) parts should be used. Yet, more recently, there are some aftermarket parts available that may be good, if not better, than the genuine parts in some cases. The quality of aftermarket parts has markedly improved over the last 10 years, so much so that accredited garages and service technicians have greater confidence in using such parts.
Aftermarket companies started to research the OEM parts and improved upon their weak points through reverse engineering. This is a process where a car part can be reproduced very accurately.3 Reverse engineering and additive engineering are used to redesign a car part at a much lower cost, using high-quality materials through additive manufacturing.
If an accredited garage is going to use aftermarket parts in the repair of your vehicle, please be sure to check with your car's manufacturer before you go ahead with the use of non-genuine parts as this may affect your warranty. Also, ensure that you know what your car insurance policy requires regarding replacing car parts to avoid possible rejection of a claim.
Perhaps you are trying to find ways to save money regarding servicing your car. Are you looking to save money on your car insurance too? You could save up to 20% on comprehensive car insurance with PMD, which offers unique benefits like fixed premiums* and a reduce to zero excess*. T’s and C’s apply.
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November 7, 2023
November 7, 2023
