When it comes to carrying out routine maintenance or emergency repairs on your car, you’re generally faced with two options. Either you fork out and take your car to a local garage or main dealership to have the work done or you do it yourself. Whilst the DIY approach isn’t for everyone, an increasing number of budding mechanics are having a go at their repairs and doing a fantastic job, saving themselves a small fortune along the way. Of course, with this, however, it’s important that you’re able to source the correct parts and in doing so, a number of decisions need to be made. The main one of these is whether you’re going to purchase genuine OEM parts or go down the aftermarket route and we’ve teamed up with Honda car parts dealers, Cox Motor Parts, to take a look at what each mean and which you should opt for whenever possible.
Genuine OEM Car Parts
In short, genuine OEM car parts are those which are supplied by the manufacturer and those which are regarded as the standard parts for your vehicle. It is only these which can guarantee to maintain the performance of your vehicle and those which are tested thoroughly and manufactured to the exact specifications and tolerances required. Of course, this does mean that OEM parts often end up being a little bit more expensive in the short term, however when you take into account the extra life you’ll get from such parts, there’s very little in it. Add to this the number of dealers offering genuine parts online at great prices and you start to see why, in the long run, you can’t go wrong when buying OEM parts.
Aftermarket Parts
In comparison, aftermarket parts are those which are NOT offered by the original vehicle manufacturer and those which you’ll generally expect to see in many high street ‘parts’ retailers. This often includes wide ranges of similar parts, adding further confusion into the mix. On this front, you’ll generally find that OEM parts ranges will offer just one product of each type per vehicle. As such, unless you really know what you’re looking for, buying aftermarket parts and guaranteeing you’ve ordered the right ones can be a little difficult.
Aftermarket parts do, of course, have their place, however for standard repairs and maintenance, it’s widely regarded that genuine OEM parts are the best option. It’s important that you understand that these are the only parts which the manufacture guarantees won’t negatively affect the performance of your vehicle and that, in comparison with aftermarket parts, they often perform better! With many of us relying on our cars to get us from A to B and even to work and back each day, the last thing we want is to experience a breakdown and by using genuine parts when work needs carrying out, you can work to reduce the chances of that happening as far as possible.
Yes, it may cost a little more upfront, however over the lifetime of the parts, you’ll be glad you made the decision to go genuine and will start to understand the importance of this seemingly small decision when carrying out work again in the future!
