The Difference Between OEM, OES, and Aftermarket Parts

     It is believed by many that OES (Original Equipment Supplier) parts have to be purchased directly from the dealer. OES parts are made on the same assembly line as the OEM(Original Equipment Manufacturer) except it goes through a couple added steps. Branding of the part or stamping with the manufacturer logo IE: HONDA, and then gets wrapped and labeled in the manufacturers packaging. This OES part has just become more expensive to the consumer because of theses added steps and inflated by numerous middlemen. Due to the regulations of the ISO (International Organization for Standardization) certification there are quite a few OEM companies on the market because multiple OES brands are required. For the Auto manufacturers to have a steady supply on the production line, they must have several supply sources that provide them with equal quality parts. This ensures if a manufacturer has any problems with one supplier it will not disable the vehicles production and allow for substitution of other brands for  production , repairs and warranty replacement.


     Aftermarket parts are copies of the OEM part. These parts are made to be a more economically feasible replacement parts than an OEM part. These parts are usually carried by your retail "chain" parts suppliers and are intended to be sold to the "do it yourselfer" who is more concerned with price than quality or longevity. However in my experiences there are some aftermarket companies that take OEM parts to the next level of quality. MOOG suspension components being a good example, they take for instance a ball joint, reverse engineer the part and and then recreate a replacement part that is of a  higher quality. These products are most of the time equivalent in price to an OES part but carry an outstanding lifetime warranty.
In conclusion, there are several options to meet your repair, service and budget needs without sacrificing overall quality.

Dealer repair not necessary to uphold a vehicles warranty

Due to the Magnuson Moss Warranty Act of 1975 consumers don’t need to bring their vehicles to the dealer to uphold their warranty.

           

It has been mentioned far too often by our service guests that “we will bring in our other car for service as soon as it is out of warranty”. It appears that the majority of consumers are unaware that they can have their vehicles serviced at any repair facility of their choice without sacrificing their manufacturers’ warranty.

The Magnuson – Moss Warranty Act basically states that weather the product is serviced by the seller or by another service facility, the manufacturer cannot void the warranty or charge for a warranty service based on the place of previous service. Furthermore that the use of aftermarket products cannot void a warranty unless a failure is a direct result of using said product and that would have to be proven.

Having heard from guests that during their new car buying experience it had not been directly said but inferred that service would have to be done at the dealer and those guests were surprised to find out this not to be the case.

Living The Dream Auto Care is changing the standard of automotive service by educating our guests and empowering them to be informed consumers.