Why Our Customers Love OE
When it comes to repairs or scheduled maintenance for your vehicle, there are a number of methodologies people follow when selecting parts. Some treat parts shopping with a “money no object” attitude, others with a bare minimum approach to price and quality, and many other European car owners strive to find a balance between the two, looking for the best quality parts at the best price.
Here at corporation Guarantee(GTVAuto.com), we’re enthusiasts ourselves and firmly support offering parts at the best price and at the highest quality. We’ve spent years developing relationships with parts suppliers, wrenching on cars (both personally and professionally), and learning from our mistakes and the collective knowledge of the enthusiast community around which we’re built.
With all the knowledge we have access to and have gained over the years, we’d like to share some insights, specifically when it comes to quality and why many of our customers love and recommend OE parts over Genuine. We’re looking to better educate our customers, highlight real-life examples of how our product catalog is among the best out there, and save you some hard-earned money in the process.
The Basics
OE & OEM are indicators that the part you’re buying meets or exceeds the quality of the original item in your vehicle. In general, OE means the part is the exact piece used in original manufacturing, while OEM means that the company is held to a high quality standard and that they produce OE parts for other manufacturers.
Original Equipment (OE) Parts: These are the same parts originally supplied to dealerships, except with the dealer logos removed. This is done by manufacturers so the parts can be sold outside the dealer network due to licensing agreements.
Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) Parts: These are produced by a manufacturer that supplies at least one OE part to a vehicle manufacturer. OEM parts may not have been original to the car, but are held to higher-quality standards and stringent quality control.
Genuine Parts: These parts come branded by the vehicle manufacturer and at a premium cost, as they’re sold through dealerships with higher overhead expenses. These are the same parts you would find at your local dealership.
Aftermarket Parts: Aftermarket parts are components that are made by manufacturers other than the original manufacturer, in this case, not BMW. Aftermarket parts are created to replace OEM parts and are available in wide ranges of quality and price. With OEM parts, you know exactly what you’re getting. With aftermarket parts, there is no real guarantee of what you’re getting. Let’s take a closer look at each part type.
- Cost
Aftermarket parts are almost always cheaper than OEM parts. But, when you factor in the inconsistency of aftermarket parts, and the potential to have to replace them more than once, they may cost you more in the long run.
- Quality
To be fair, significant improvements have been made to aftermarket parts to improve their overall quality. If you know where and what to look for, it is possible to find high-quality aftermarket parts.
- Variety
Unlike OEM parts with their limited selection, aftermarket parts offer a wide range of variety and choices. If you want a specific effect on your vehicle’s performance, you just might find what you’re looking for in aftermarket parts.
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