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RSS FeedYou should never use after-market auto parts when maintaining or fixing your car
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| Disagree | 76% | 410 votes | Total: 541 votes | |
| Agree | 24% | 131 votes |
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Add to FavoritesFollowing this rule is best for many drivers, but by no means all. What is right for you depends on two factors: what kind of parts you need, and what kind of car you drive.
In general, all replacement parts can be divided in two types:
"Sacrificial" parts are used for regularly scheduled maintenance. The manufacturer designs these parts to wear out, so they need to be replaced frequently. Some examples of sacrificial parts are: air, oil, and fuel filters; brake pads and shoes; belts, hoses, tires, wiper blades, spark plugs and batteries.
"Replaceme nt" parts are used for repair, rather than maintenance - to replace parts that are NOT supposed to wear out or break. Replacements for some internal engine parts, such as pistons, rings, cranks, rods, or seals, MUST come from the OEM (original equipment manufacturer). Transmissions and transaxles may be rebuilt by third-party shops, but originally, they, too, must come from the OEM.
No after-market firm sells these parts, because they are so expensive to make, and the demand for them is so low. Only cars with very serious mechanical problems ever need them, and often such cars are just junked instead of fixed. After-market companies specialize instead in sacrificial parts (and some common replacement parts) that are less expensive to make, and are regularly needed by most every car on the road.
The issue with after-market parts is that they cost less, but do not always perform as well, as OEM, or "genuine" dealer-approved parts. After-market parts can be used in SOME cars without causing any problems, but should be avoided in others. What's right for you depends on your car's age, condition, value, and warranty status.
If you drive a high-price, high-performance car (like Mercedes, Lexus, Infiniti, Ferrari) that's still in good condition, you would be a fool to use anything but genuine OEM parts. In expensive, highly-engineered vehicles like this, the difference in performance between OEM and after-market parts can be huge. In this case, you are better off going to the dealer for service. If you need to pinch your pennies on car parts, you should not buy such an expensive car in the first place.
With more run-of-the-mill vehicles, like Toyota, Honda, Ford and Chevy, it's best to stay away from after-market parts, at least as long as your car is under warranty. The reason is that anything but genuine, dealer-supplied parts usually voids the warranty. What you save on after-market parts won't seem like such a great bargain if, later on, you pay big bucks for repairs that WOULD have been covered by your warranty.
If you lease rather than own, your lease agreement may require you to use only genuine, manufacturer-approve d parts.
You may want to stay away from after-market parts even if no warranty or lease forces you to. If you car is still in good condition, you may get a better price when you sell it, if you can prove that there are nothing but genuine OEM parts inside.
But the older the car, and the more miles on it, the less you need to worry about after-market parts. Older cars often do not deliver anything like peak performance to begin with, so using somewhat lower-performance after-market parts will make no real difference. Furthermore, buyers often don't care what kind of parts are in a 10-year-old car. For any car with more than 100,000 miles on it, genuine OEM parts are often nothing but a waste of money. For maintenance and repair of "very used" cars, you can safely rely on name-brand after-market parts from your local auto parts or discount department store.
For example: Last summer, a steel brake line in my 1994 Altima rusted out. My local Nissan dealer wanted $800 to replace it. A genuine Nissan brake line, formed to the right shape at the factory, would have cost me $80. The labor charge would have been $720, because dealer-employed mechanics must follow the book. In this case, that meant removing the gas tank and just about half the engine, in order to expose the brake line before removing and replacing it.
Instead, I replaced it myself with after-market brake lines that I bent into shape and connected, without touching the gas tank. After disconnecting the old line, I simply left it where it was. Total cost: under a hundred bucks.
Even though you may never do major repairs like this, you can still save money with after-market parts - if your car isn't too fancy, too expensive, or too new. If you drive an older car that's already seen its best days, then most likely you can safely rely on after-market parts for all the sacrificial parts (and some replacement parts) you need.
When in doubt, consult an independent local mechanic, who was recommended to you by friends or family.
Learn more about this author, Matthew Lieff.
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Agree
I had to laugh when I read this. I have had so many friends believing that they are saving themselves money by going to the junkyard and buying an old part. I could never do that, cause I don't know if the product I'm buying was over-used, how long was it on the former vehicle, how long can it possibly last, etc. If you want any auto part to last, from the tires to the alternator, you must buy it brand spanking new.
With used auto parts such as windows, pieces of the structure of the car, then sure. Never, never the mechanical or working parts of an engine. Now the engine block, sure. You can always repair most damages and utilize it for another vehicle. It always comes down to what you know. I am always looking to save a buck, but in my youth, I have made the mistake far too many times buying used parts that only last a week or two. Now, I spend that time calling auto parts stores and getting quotes on the parts I need. Never, ever going to the junkyard that is the biggest mistake that one can make. Yes, you may get a decent part and it may last you as long as a new one. Do you really want to take that chance?
You go to the casino much? That is the equivalent of buying used parts. Yes, you win sometimes, but the work you have to do when you lose of installing and replacing a part a second time, really aggravates. It does me anyway, after swearing a little just doing the work sometimes to install or remove the part the first time, is frustrating enough to me. I sure don't want to do it again needlessly!
Let me use my experience as an example. I had an older lady who needed to have a fuel pump replace in a small mini-van. I took on the project, there was a hundred dollars in for it. When I had dropped the tank and removed the old pump, I suddenly realized that she forgot to tell me where the new pump was. I rummaged through the back of the van, searching for the new pump and all I found was junk, and more junk. Finally, I relented. I called her up at her daughters house, where she stayed while I did my magic, and came to find out it was indeed in the back of the van. I apologized and went to rummage once more, getting a sick feeling that I was "in for it."
I went back into the van, and one of the "pieces of junk" I tossed aside was a dirt covered, rusty fuel pump. I cleaned it up and inspected it, to find the hot wire to the pump was exposed and worn. Needless to say, I had to put the old, still working, fuel pump back into the van. Tell the inexperienced older lady, the dangers of installing the pump. I didn't charge her, of course, and she said she'd still have someone else do it. I haven't heard from her, hope the car didn't blow up!
Learn more about this author, Marshall Brown.
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