By Leo, Lead Technician – EuroLab Ltd, Auckland
Buy nice, or buy twice!
Regularly we see vehicles fitted with non-genuine parts which can function similarly to original parts on your vehicle. So what is the difference between the genuine and aftermarket parts? Aftermarket seems cheaper, so… should you buy them?
Sadly, the answer is “NO.”
Genuine vs Aftermarket: The Real Difference
Aftermarket parts are usually manufactured in China with cheaper materials. Fitment is likely not to be exact or may even require modifications to make them compatible with your European vehicle. They perform minimal testing on the products — if any — and that is how they can pass on the saving to you.
Genuine parts, on the other hand, are made with high-quality materials and would have had extensive testing on materials and design. They are made with very fine tolerances and dimensions for an exact factory fitment. However, this comes at a higher cost.
So How Can We Save Money on Parts?
On many occasions, we have seen customers and mechanics at a loss on why a vehicle is acting one way or the other, or have a fault that never seems to go away. They dump hundreds and thousands on the problem without getting anywhere. A lot of the time, it’s due to an aftermarket part.
A Classic Example: The $50 “Saving” That Costs Thousands
Take for example: a faulty coolant temperature sensor that has been replaced by your mechanic with a cheap aftermarket part at a saving of $50 when compared with a genuine temp sensor. Then the heater stops working on your vehicle…
You will naturally go to an air-conditioning specialist where they will then spend hours and not find anything wrong with your air-con system. You would probably then bounce around a number of other mechanics before someone figures out the following:
The temperature sensor is made with different tolerances, which have resulted in incorrect or false readings being transmitted to your air-conditioning module. This causes it to indicate that the engine is still cold when, in fact, it’s warm. The resulting effect is that the air-conditioning unit would not run the heater or fan in order to prevent what it thinks would be a cold blast for the occupants of the car.
Now you probably wish that you had never saved the initial $50, had never gone through all of this drama, and had never had to waste all the money and time on different mechanics and air-conditioning specialists.
