I know State Farm used to require OEM sheet metal only. Not sure if that is a thing anymore?I've inspected 1000's of vehicles after repair and heard hundreds of complaints from body-men as an insurance adjuster. Depending on how bad the part was and how much intervention was needed byt the tech, it can look 95% or completely off. That being said, for a DIY Radiator support, I'd buy the cheaper one and prepare to make modifications so everything fits right.
CAPA parts are just a way the insurance industry can say the part has been blessed to a high standard and is essentially a warranty from some Chinese manufacturer. They claim the material, fit, and galvanization etc is matched but when you hold a CAPA vs OEM, you can see the CAPA parts sheet metal is thinner, the whole part weighs less, and the techs need more adjustment time to use the part, shimming and reaming flanges etc.
Insurance companies can say "we use certified parts" i.e. CAPA when in fact the parts usually come from the same factory.
The only difference, is the CAPA one wasn't damaged or was QC'd whereas the non-CAPA just comes off the factory line and right into a box, no sticker, same part.
I suspect CAPA is a way to charge the insurance company more despite the CAPA board of directors being mostly former or current insurance execs. I knew one a former board member at CAPA. His job was to enforce aftermarket part usage at my insurance company!
Insurance Representation on the CAPA Board
Out of the 18 current board members, 10 represent major insurance companies. This means that more than 55% of the board consists of individuals from the insurance sector.
The board members from the insurance industry include:
- GEICO: Troy Penry (Vice Chair)
- Allstate: Michael Bundra
- State Farm: Teresa Candiloro (formerly Brianne Jones)
- Progressive: John Retton
- Farmers Insurance: Joseph Flowers
- Nationwide: Jim Gadberry
- Liberty Mutual: Tom Latronico
- Travelers: Jeff Procaccini
- USAA: Patrick Burnett
- Allstate (Additional): Sandee Lindorfer
Other Board Interests
The remaining seats are distributed among other sectors of the automotive aftermarket to create what CAPA calls a "cross-section" of the industry:
- Collision Repairers: 4 members (representing companies like Caliber Collision, Classic Collision, and Crash Champions)
- Distributors: 2 members (from LKQ Corporation and Parts Authority)
- Quality/Safety Advocates: 2 members (from Intertek and Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety)
It depends by company and even some states. I think Indiana is supposed to be all OEM for vehicles 5 years or newer. Some companies like Travelers have endorsements for all OEM IIRC. I think SF actually allows more CAPA vs OEM, they must be feeling the impact of the competition from Geico and Progressive.
outstandingly informative, never knew about any of these beforeI've inspected 1000's of vehicles after repair and heard hundreds of complaints from body-men as an insurance adjuster. Depending on how bad the part was and how much intervention was needed byt the tech, it can look 95% or completely off. That being said, for a DIY Radiator support, I'd buy the cheaper one and prepare to make modifications so everything fits right.
CAPA parts are just a way the insurance industry can say the part has been blessed to a high standard and is essentially a warranty from some Chinese manufacturer. They claim the material, fit, and galvanization etc is matched but when you hold a CAPA vs OEM, you can see the CAPA parts sheet metal is thinner, the whole part weighs less, and the techs need more adjustment time to use the part, shimming and reaming flanges etc.
Insurance companies can say "we use certified parts" i.e. CAPA when in fact the parts usually come from the same factory.
The only difference, is the CAPA one wasn't damaged or was QC'd whereas the non-CAPA just comes off the factory line and right into a box, no sticker, same part.
I suspect CAPA is a way to charge the insurance company more despite the CAPA board of directors being mostly former or current insurance execs. I knew a former board member at CAPA. His job was to enforce aftermarket part usage at my insurance company!
Insurance Representation on the CAPA Board
Out of the 18 current board members, 10 represent major insurance companies. This means that more than 55% of the board consists of individuals from the insurance sector.
The board members from the insurance industry include:
- GEICO: Troy Penry (Vice Chair)
- Allstate: Michael Bundra
- State Farm: Teresa Candiloro (formerly Brianne Jones)
- Progressive: John Retton
- Farmers Insurance: Joseph Flowers
- Nationwide: Jim Gadberry
- Liberty Mutual: Tom Latronico
- Travelers: Jeff Procaccini
- USAA: Patrick Burnett
- Allstate (Additional): Sandee Lindorfer
Other Board Interests
The remaining seats are distributed among other sectors of the automotive aftermarket to create what CAPA calls a "cross-section" of the industry:
- Collision Repairers: 4 members (representing companies like Caliber Collision, Classic Collision, and Crash Champions)
- Distributors: 2 members (from LKQ Corporation and Parts Authority)
- Quality/Safety Advocates: 2 members (from Intertek and Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety)
This. I used to work in autobody for years and it's mainly to make the insurance companies happy. They may or may not fit better than the cheaper part, but warranty is easier. However, we had enough fitment problems with CAPA parts that we just always ended up calling them CRAPA.I've inspected 1000's of vehicles after repair and heard hundreds of complaints from body-men as an insurance adjuster. Depending on how bad the part was and how much intervention was needed byt the tech, it can look 95% or completely off. That being said, for a DIY Radiator support, I'd buy the cheaper one and prepare to make modifications so everything fits right.
CAPA parts are just a way the insurance industry can say the part has been blessed to a high standard and is essentially a warranty from some Chinese manufacturer. They claim the material, fit, and galvanization etc is matched but when you hold a CAPA vs OEM, you can see the CAPA parts sheet metal is thinner, the whole part weighs less, and the techs need more adjustment time to use the part, shimming and reaming flanges etc.
Insurance companies can say "we use certified parts" i.e. CAPA when in fact the parts usually come from the same factory.
The only difference, is the CAPA one wasn't damaged or was QC'd whereas the non-CAPA just comes off the factory line and right into a box, no sticker, same part.
I suspect CAPA is a way to charge the insurance company more despite the CAPA board of directors being mostly former or current insurance execs. I knew a former board member at CAPA. His job was to enforce aftermarket part usage at my insurance company!
Insurance Representation on the CAPA Board
Out of the 18 current board members, 10 represent major insurance companies. This means that more than 55% of the board consists of individuals from the insurance sector.
The board members from the insurance industry include:
- GEICO: Troy Penry (Vice Chair)
- Allstate: Michael Bundra
- State Farm: Teresa Candiloro (formerly Brianne Jones)
- Progressive: John Retton
- Farmers Insurance: Joseph Flowers
- Nationwide: Jim Gadberry
- Liberty Mutual: Tom Latronico
- Travelers: Jeff Procaccini
- USAA: Patrick Burnett
- Allstate (Additional): Sandee Lindorfer
Other Board Interests
The remaining seats are distributed among other sectors of the automotive aftermarket to create what CAPA calls a "cross-section" of the industry:
- Collision Repairers: 4 members (representing companies like Caliber Collision, Classic Collision, and Crash Champions)
- Distributors: 2 members (from LKQ Corporation and Parts Authority)
- Quality/Safety Advocates: 2 members (from Intertek and Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety)
Ha, that is standard industry lingo now.
Well I shipped two brake rotors and some other stuff for $9.99 last week. Box must have weighed 40 lbs.
If there is any difference it tends be the bottom of the barrel stuff tends to have a coating over the part that is more of like a powder. They call it an e-coat, but it's anything but. If you touch it then it immediately falls off and stains your hands. When I was in the shop, the first thing I did was take thinner on a piece of red scotch brite and get all that crap off, then spray with proper 2K direct-to-metal primer. Let it cure, then scuff, then regular primer, then seal/spray/clear. I never got screwed on those kinds of comebacks, but others did literally years later where it started flaking off from that crap.
