Aftermarket thoughts.......

[WMSmotorhead]

I've met some car fans that would sooner scrap their car than buy an aftermarket part... so I thought I'd ask about it.

Being also a member of a Focus forum, I've found some nice aftermarket replacement parts that exceed the OEM durability, or sell for a better price.

There are some part stores I DON'T trust at all. Theres one around here that I've had but one "Stinker" from and it was replaced quickly without quibble.

My focus's front end is made up of mostly aftermarket.. Spring/strut, tie rod end, Sway link, Lower control arm.. Usually House brand (federated) moog or Doorman.. I don't see anything negative in the parts I've bought so far. Yet I read over and over that "Bad aftermarket parts Ruin another car"....

Where do those come from?

 

[qdeezie]

I think there's a balance between aftermarket and OE parts. When it comes to suspension parts, I trust aftermarket parts with the lone exception of shocks/struts.

However, there are good and even great aftermarket shocks/struts, but they are very costly. Low quality shocks/struts are not worth the upfront savings because you'll have to end up replacing them in pretty much no time unless you get lucky.

Overall I'm an aftermarket guy with the exception of a very few parts. In those instances, the quality of the OEM far exceeds that of the aftermarket part.

One more thing to add. In a lot of instances, the aftermarket part is of better quality than the OEM part. So, it's a balancing act.

 

[cmf]

It depends on the price difference between OE and aftermarket, which often depends on the manufacturer of the car. Also depends on the part. Overall I would purchase OE over aftermarket if they are close in price.

I recently bought a window regulator for my car from Dorman that had "improvements over OE design." I definitely should have been weary of the improvements but my last one was squeaking so I figured they might have fixed that problem. New one works fine but the holes for the wiring are circles when the OE ones are ovals. I improvised and it's fine, but it would have been much better if it was exactly the same as OE.

 

[mechtech2]

Who only uses factory parts?
.

 

[UNC017]

Originally Posted By: mechtech2
Who only uses factory parts?
.


People with more money than time or brains...

Seriously, there are the occasional parts that get a reputation for being better if bought only at the dealer... usually parts that were problematic the first time out and were superceded by a modified design after the aftermarket started producing parts to the first (flawed) design. But those are few and far between. AFter all, the parts stocked by the dealer parts department for your car 3 years after it left the showroom are absolutely NOT guaranteed to be made by the same vendor that made the original parts. Lowest bidder gets the contract.

 

[sciphi]

It depends on the part. For some parts the aftermarket is clearly superior to OEM. An example is the composite upper intake on my Buick's 3800 V6. The OEM GM part is prone to burning through in the EGR passage and leaking coolant into the engine. The aftermarket parts beefed up that area, and provided a bigger air gap to prevent burn-through.

An example of OEM being better than aftermarket is the Delco oxygen sensors lasting longer than 30k miles than Denso's sensors do in the same application.

 

[buickman50401]

Originally Posted By: sciphi
It depends on the part. For some parts the aftermarket is clearly superior to OEM. An example is the composite upper intake on my Buick's 3800 V6. The OEM GM part is prone to burning through in the EGR passage and leaking coolant into the engine. The aftermarket parts beefed up that area, and provided a bigger air gap to prevent burn-through.

An example of OEM being better than aftermarket is the Delco oxygen sensors lasting longer than 30k miles than Denso's sensors do in the same application.

Same with my wife's 06 Golf. The coolant temp sensors of the "black body" variety are apparently notorious for dying at ~30k mi. Aftermarket replacements run from $23 to $27. However, they are based on the old design. VW has a revised one with a green body (where the harness plugs in). These (according to what I could find on various VW forums) will last at least 50k if not for the life of the vehicle. The redesigned OEM with tax + cost of new O ring was $33.

Ditto for the L/U intake manifold gaskets on the GM 3.1L. The aftermarket was the first to offer a redesigned, beefed up gasket IIRC several years before GM finally got around to adopting a redesigned gasket.

On the other hand with things like brakes and rotors, I've seen people claim that the OEM rotors are superior because of the design of the cooling vanes. While probably true in that respect, considering the OEMs will warp just as soon as an aftermarket, I'll take the $20 aftermarket rotors and $35 high end aftermarket pads since I'm going to get the same life out of them regardless.

Someone mentioned OEM vs aftermarket shocks with the OEM being better. Not in my experience. The original equipment struts needed replacing at about 65k mi. They weren't completely worn out, but they were certainly well on their way to end of service life. Replaced them with Monroe Sense-a-Tracs. I'm at 65k on these and they are starting to exhibit the same behavior as the OEMs at the same mileage.

 

[Panzerman]

I think aftermarket parts used to be as good as factory or better. Back when Napa ruled and Advanced auto was still Discount auto. That was before India and China started making everything that even looked like the factory part and pawning it off. I am pretty much a factory OEM part only, if I can afford it. I am past that performance stage and want the longativety of the vehicle more.

 

[Volvo_ST1]

Originally Posted By: Panzerman
I am past that performance stage and want the longativety of the vehicle more.


Huh?

 

[morris]

my after market parts are limited stickers on the side window. LOL really i think most after market parts are better than o.e.m.

 

[dparm]

Originally Posted By: morris
my after market parts are limited stickers on the side window. LOL really i think most after market parts are better than o.e.m.



No way. Even the expensive aftermarket stuff just doesn't fit right or has clear design flaws. I've bought aftermarket for Ford, Honda, Acura, Mazda, and Audi. OEM always fits and always lasts.

 

[WMSmotorhead]

Sounds fair.. I've had some pretty good experiences on the aftermarket... Even with the "Fit" issues. I actualy bought the super cheap generic quick struts for a Focus.. 99$ each.. They lasted 50K miles before getting noisy.. considering that Monroes would have cost an extra 80$, I think I did OK. I re-bought the cheap generic ones, and found they improved the boots, which were the problem on the previous set.

I'm pleased with the Federated part store in our area.. they havn't "stuck" me with anything I wouldn't buy again.

I don't really like any of the big chains... but Advance isn't on my hit list... The big O and the Zone are places I don't care for much.

There's lots of Indie's around my area. There's a "CPW" and Budget... both compete pretty hard.. The Fed has the giant warehouse nearby, so you can get stuff same day.

 

[NHHEMI]

Not all aftermarket parts are created equal. There are aftermarket parts that are of significantly lesser quality than OEM parts for sure. However, there are aftermarket parts of the same quality and even superior quality as well and as a rule they can be purchased for a LOT less than buying OEM parts. OEM parts are almost always vastly over priced compared to equal or superior parts from the aftermarket.

OEM parts are far from being the pinnacle of quality some think they are as well. While you can always count on the correct OEM part fitting without question you can not count on that OEM part being the best quality part for your money. Car mfg's do not buy/spec the absolute best quality part they can. They buy parts that do the job good enough at the best price( for them )to get through warranty. I have always considered OEM parts to be nothing more than middle of the road quality wise. I seldom if ever use them. Too expensive and nothing special about them.

If you know what aftermarket brands are good you are far better off going aftermarket IMO for most things. Also, many times that OEM dealer part is nothing more than a repackaged aftermarket part with a higher price tag. A good example would be the OE plugs for my truck. They are nothing more than regular old everyday copper core Champion plugs in a MOPAR box. Dealer cost is $5+ a plug while the same plug bought at AAP or AZ is less than $2.50. I wouldn't use a Champiion plug in a vehicle of mine if my life depended on it but if I did use them I sure wouldn't buy them from the dealer at 2X's+ the cost for the exact same plug.

All of us pretty much, here at BITOG, know that OEM fluids are just repackaged fluids from the name brand companies for the most part( excluding specialty fluids like GM autotrakII as an example ). I would never buy OEM fluids at the prices dealers charge for it unless it was a dealer only item. I would just buy the name brand stuff from a parts store. I know people though who will only buy their fluids from the dealer. It blows me away.

I have seen lots of OEM parts that are just repacked aftermarket stuff as well. Everything from shocks to suspension components to brakes and so on. I worked in the auto field, both aftermarket and dealer, selling parts and I know too much about parts to go buy my stuff at the dealer. I can get superior quality at a fraction of the cost in the aftermarket.

With that said there are times, as others have mentioned, when the OEM part is really the only smart way to go. On my truck for example there has been a lot of issues with aftermarket transmissions filters not fitting correctly and causing trannny issues. That is an instance where the OEM part is your best bet. Also, I personally will only use OEM body parts when I can get them. That is an area where cost is not a concern to me.

I will use OEM parts when it makes sense to but IMO that is seldom.

 

[NHHEMI]

Originally Posted By: WMSmotorhead
Sounds fair.. I've had some pretty good experiences on the aftermarket... Even with the "Fit" issues. I actualy bought the super cheap generic quick struts for a Focus.. 99$ each.. They lasted 50K miles before getting noisy.. considering that Monroes would have cost an extra 80$, I think I did OK. I re-bought the cheap generic ones, and found they improved the boots, which were the problem on the previous set.

I'm pleased with the Federated part store in our area.. they havn't "stuck" me with anything I wouldn't buy again.

I don't really like any of the big chains... but Advance isn't on my hit list... The big O and the Zone are places I don't care for much.

There's lots of Indie's around my area. There's a "CPW" and Budget... both compete pretty hard.. The Fed has the giant warehouse nearby, so you can get stuff same day.


Back when I sold aftermarket parts Federated parts were just repacked parts from name brand suppliers. Sometimes lesser quality made for Federated but not always. Shocks for instance were actually made by Monroe and some models were really the regular Monroe's relabeled. Filters were Hastings. Just an FYI. Not sure what they are today but that is what the deal was when I sold them.

 

[UNC017]

Originally Posted By: dparm
Originally Posted By: morris
my after market parts are limited stickers on the side window. LOL really i think most after market parts are better than o.e.m.



No way. Even the expensive aftermarket stuff just doesn't fit right or has clear design flaws. I've bought aftermarket for Ford, Honda, Acura, Mazda, and Audi. OEM always fits and always lasts.


Massive over-generalization. There are MANY aftermarket parts that are far better than the lowest-bidder replacement parts at the dealer parts counter. There are also aftermarket parts that are worse. Look at the country of origin, look at the brand of the part, and inspect the part itself for build quality.... whether you buy it at a parts store OR at the dealer. Its all really pretty much the same.

 

[Rix]

Arias, TRD, TTT, Battleversion, HKS, Project Mu, Ueo..... to name a few of the aftermarket parts that all work well on the corolla

 

[The Critic]

Originally Posted By: 440Magnum
Originally Posted By: dparm
Originally Posted By: morris
my after market parts are limited stickers on the side window. LOL really i think most after market parts are better than o.e.m.



No way. Even the expensive aftermarket stuff just doesn't fit right or has clear design flaws. I've bought aftermarket for Ford, Honda, Acura, Mazda, and Audi. OEM always fits and always lasts.


Massive over-generalization. There are MANY aftermarket parts that are far better than the lowest-bidder replacement parts at the dealer parts counter. There are also aftermarket parts that are worse. Look at the country of origin, look at the brand of the part, and inspect the part itself for build quality.... whether you buy it at a parts store OR at the dealer. Its all really pretty much the same.


I am curious if our experiences vary by brand. I have a feeling that the domestic car crowd generally has better experiences with aftermarket than the Japanese and German car crowds.

 

[UNC017]

Originally Posted By: The Critic

I am curious if our experiences vary by brand. I have a feeling that the domestic car crowd generally has better experiences with aftermarket than the Japanese and German car crowds.


That probably used to be more true than it is now. These days, all the big US aftermarket parts houses tend to support cars from Japan, Europe, and the US pretty equally. And lots of the overseas (speaking as a US-based guy) aftermarket parts companies that used to just support either German or Japanese cars now also make parts for all the worlds' cars. You can get NGK plugs today for Mopar engines that haven't been manufactured in decades and for which NGK plugs didn't exist when they WERE new, for example.

 

[dailydriver]

Originally Posted By: 440Magnum
You can get NGK plugs today for Mopar engines that haven't been manufactured in decades and for which NGK plugs didn't exist when they WERE new, for example.



As well as Ate & Brembo replacement brake rotors for domestics which NEVER had these braking systems as factory equipment.

 

[morris]

what gets me is these kids see the real race cars using holley carbs. and thats what they think they need on the street. then not only do they do bad install job thats dangerous and the mpg goes out the window. my opinion is that holley carbs are good for just 2 things, burning tons of fuel, and making tons of horspower. oh i forgot leaking fuel. ANY one that makes a carb that uses gaskets to keep fuel in the carb does not know what they are doing. AND its DANGEROUS. how many cars burned down cause some one didnt know how to install fuel system?