OEM vs Aftermarket Parts and Your Local Certified Honda Collision Center

To begin with let’s look at some of the pros and cons of OEM (original equipment manufacturer’s) parts versus aftermarket parts for Mesa, Arizona Honda body repair.

Honda collision center in Arizona on aftermarket and OEM parts

First let’s look at OEM (original equipment manufacturers) parts:

PROS

It is commonly believed that OEM parts are the highest quality and will function exactly as the part you are replacing did when it was fresh off the assembly line. This takes the speculation out of judging the quality and value amid numerous brands.

OEM parts generally include a one-year warranty which gives peace of mind. Your Mesa body shop may also warranty their labor.

CONS

OEM parts are costlier than aftermarket parts. In some cases, the quality of OEM parts may not surpass the quality of aftermarket parts even though they are more expensive. In fact, certain aftermarket parts are equal to or possibly higher quality than OEM parts, which leaves you paying more simply for the name.

Now for the pros and cons of aftermarket parts:

PROS

Aftermarket parts are not supplied by the original manufacturer of the vehicle. There are several companies that design parts to function as well if not better than OEM parts.

The cost of aftermarket parts can be 60% to 70% lower than OEM parts.

Since aftermarket parts are reverse engineered, it’s possible to end up with a higher quality part than the OEM part you are replacing. Reverse engineering means that in order to manufacture that part the engineer disassembled an OEM part in order to analyze how it performed and then engineered a part that performed similarly or possibly better.

CONS

You may be confused by the wide array of aftermarket parts. How to choose?

Don’t choose according to price, if a deal seems too good to be true it probably is. You may be sacrificing quality and even safety.

There are several well known manufacturers of high quality aftermarket parts. In buying aftermarket parts it’s best to do your homework and stick with brands known to be high quality.

In order to keep prices lower, some aftermarket parts do not include a warranty.

Should you request OEM parts at your certified Honda body shop?

According to Honda, safety may well be at stake if you choose the wrong parts for Honda body repair. Honda has been a leader in producing some of the safest vehicles on the road. If you do not use genuine OEM parts for your Honda body repair, then you have no guarantee that they have been rigorously safety tested to meet Honda’s safety standards.

For example, Honda has designed their bumper to absorb and evenly redistribute impact to the outer structure of the vehicle, away from the passengers during a collision. Since aftermarket parts are reverse engineered there are bound to be differences in design and composition.

According to independently performed crash tests that compare OEM Honda bumpers with aftermarket bumpers, upon impact, the vehicle equipped with a commonly used aftermarket bumper showed that all airbags deployed slightly later than the vehicle equipped with the standard Honda bumper. There was enough delay to change the safety rating of the vehicle with the aftermarket bumper parts, lowering it to a 4 compared to Honda’s 5 star safety rating, showing that using different body parts can affect the safety of your vehicle. Obviously, numerous other body parts can have an effect on vehicle safety, including aftermarket body panels which may not have proper crumple zones for crash safety.

The same independently performed crash tests also showed a difference in the performance of aftermarket sensors and components. The airbag system is one of your vehicle’s most important safety features. It relies on sensors to convey impact information to the control unit which then conveys the message of whether airbag deployment is necessary and which airbags should be deployed. Replacing these sensors or the control module with aftermarket parts, can again change performance and safety ratings.

Unfortunately, when it comes to Honda body repair, you may not be the one who has the most say in how it is done and what type of parts are used, it may be up to your insurance company. All insurance policies are not created equal. Find out if your insurance policy specifies OEM parts. Your insurance policy may very well require the use of non-OEM parts in order to save money. These parts need not have undergone the same tests as OEM parts and may not comply with Honda’s safety standards.

You should be aware of the type of parts and repairs that are specified in your insurance policy, since it’s the safety of you and your family at stake. You don’t just want your vehicle to look like it did before the accident, you want its pre-accident safety restored as well.

Don’t just blindly do what your insurance company suggests. They are looking out for their own best interests, not yours. For instance, your insurance company can recommend body shops that they have a contractual agreement with, but you are under no obligation to use them. You have the right to have your vehicle repaired anywhere you choose, including a certified Honda body shop.

Auto body repair shop in Mesa explains OEM partsIn addition, many states also legally require repair shops to disclose on the estimate or invoice exactly what type of parts will be used, so read carefully. Repairing your Honda with non-OEM parts or not using the repair procedures recommended by Honda can endanger the structural integrity of your vehicle as well as change its safety rating.

What is meant by a Honda certified body shop? Almost anyone can open a body shop, Honda certified body shop has rigorous inspections, possesses the correct tools and most up to date equipment. Additionally, the technicians have received training by Honda, and passed numerous tests involving their knowledge and skills.

Excel collision centers are certified by all major vehicle manufacturers. All of our technicians are highly trained in using the latest technology and equipment in order to meet the requirements of manufacturer certification. In addition, Excel collision centers invests in the ongoing training and education of our technicians in order to keep them up to date on the latest developments in technology and equipment. Currently only about 15% of the body shops in Mesa are manufacturer certified. Contact us today!

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Excel Collision and Glass Centers in ArizonaExcel Collision and Glass Centers

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