The Details
Original Equipment (OE) Parts:
These are the original parts that would have been used by the vehicle manufacturer on the car when it left the factory, except the genuine logos have been visibly removed (scratched, ground, or marked out) so they can be sold outside the dealer network due to licensing agreements. The vehicle manufacturers (BMW, Volvo, etc.) do not manufacture many products themselves but rather they contract their original equipment manufacturers to do so.
OE parts are typically sold direct from their respective manufacturer and can be had for a much lower price because of this. All of these parts will be stamped with the original manufacturer’s brand name/logo such as Bosch, Hella, or Lemforder. These are the same parts supplied to dealerships, just with the genuine logo removed so they can be sold through different retail channels.
Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) Parts:
OEM parts are produced by a manufacturer that supplies at least one OE part to a vehicle manufacturer. These are often produced in the same facility that manufacturers OE parts and are held to the same high-quality standards. OEM parts are not originally put on a vehicle from the factory, but the manufacturers adhere to stringent quality controls, and their parts share in the same reputation.
As an example, Bosch may supply the spark plugs that go in at the factory and also produce a fuel pump for a different make/vehicle. The Bosch spark plugs would be an “OE” part and the fuel pump “OEM”.
Genuine Parts:
This is a product that we have sourced from the local dealer network and is the same part that the dealership would offer you to install on your car today. This part will come branded by the vehicle manufacturer (BMW, Volvo, Audi, etc.) and a premium cost as it’s being sold by dealerships with higher overhead costs.
Our Commitment
At Guarantee (GTVAuto.com), we’ve made a commitment going into 2020 that this is the “Year of the Enthusiast”. This is reflected in our community outreach events, and educational content around quality levels and manufacturers through DIY, blog posts, valuable partnerships.
When talking about educational content, specifically when it comes to quality levels of OE vs. Genuine, we have thousands of parts on hand to reference, and realize customers don’t always have the same level of insight we do. Surrounding these pages are interactive images illustrating Genuine parts and their identical OE equivalents. These OE parts have been re-boxed or re-labeled, with the emblems ground off or tags removed by their original manufacturer so they can be sold outside of the dealer network at a fraction of the cost.
We realize this insight might be valuable, and one of our more recent enthusiast-focused improvements is our launching of “OE” and “OEM” labels on our site. Our goal with this is to make identifying OE and OEM parts easier and to better help you find that “best bang for the buck.”
“If we wouldn’t put it on our cars, we won’t sell it to you.”
“Our approach to business over the last 8 years is rooted in quality, consistency, and dedication. We’re able to offer a wide breadth of OE parts due to the business relationships we’ve developed and are proud to stand behind our customers and their vehicles.”
“The quality and reliability of our products is a direct reflection of our success as OE supplier.”
Regardless of the vehicle you drive, you’re bound to find OE parts for it at Guarantee (GTVAuto.com) and We’re improving our catalog daily
“One of our goals is to make identifying OE and OEM parts easier and to better help you find that best bang for the buck.”
So what’s the best quality part for your European vehicle? That’s ultimately your decision, we just want to make sure it’s an educated one. Personally and professionally, we recommend going with OE over Genuine if we can source it and offer it on the site. We stand firmly behind the fact that, “If we wouldn’t put it on our cars, we won’t sell it to you.”
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