OEM Parts vs After Market Parts

I was driving my 2021 Toyota TRD Off-Road 4Runner when a vehicle ran the stop sign t-boning the passenger side. Damages stretched from the rear tire to the front fender. Both front passenger and rear doors/frames, tire, running board (was bent down) will need to be replaced. I haven't called the other parties insurance yet but have been told insurance companies typically will only pay for aftermarket parts. At this time I do not know if there is any structural damage as this just occurred and was towed. My 4Runner was in excellent condition with 42,000 miles. My questions 1) Are aftermarket parts comparable in durability as OEM? 2) I'm in Arizona, does anyone know if I can insist on Genuine Toyota OEM parts and anyone with advice on how to successfully have insurance company cover OEM parts so that my 4Runner is in the pre-accident condition?

 

Welcome.

Not sure if Arizona is any different, but most insurance companies will do OE equivalent aftermarket and repairable used OEM parts. You’ll have to pay the difference if you want OEM. And yes, there is a difference in the quality of parts.

 

had my liftgate beat up pretty bad a while back. body shop guy who I know pretty well said to only go with Toyota replacements. Materials and construction of the aftermarkets parts just not up to standard.

 

Read your insurance companies disclaimer at the end of the estimate. It spells out that the part manufacturer warranties the aft mkt part - not the Ins co. Typically the aft mkt part must be CAPA certified in order for an Ins co to use it.

 

I deliver OEM parts all day long for a large (40 dealerships) auto group. Collision shops are a big part of our business, and I have lots of friends who work in them. I can tell you with absolute certainty that aftermarket - even CAPA Certified - parts are of inferior quality to OEM. The fit and finish isn't even close. Demand OEM parts.

 

Sucks, sorry to hear. Definitely get oem.

 

This is actually a loaded question that depends on your individual situation and parts availability.

Having installed aftermarket fenders, grilles, lights, bumper caps, window regulators... they are good enough. Nowadays every chineseium auto parts mfr has 3D scanning and CNC machining equipment to make tools and dies for good copies, so fitment is typically acceptable. OEM body panels nowadays are like tinfoil - readily evident if you tap any panel with your knuckles. This means there's high degree of flexibility and adjustment room with most body panels once you loosen the screws.

On top of extra cost, insisting on genuine OEM parts may add extra lead time as Toyota isn't good with keeping parts in stock. Would you be fine with your vehicle sitting in a shop two extra months because a genuine OEM part is on backorder? Would you be fine with the shop pulling used OEM parts from salvage yards?

 

A good body shop will just bid out parts from a junkyard. In some cases OEM is a must others no so much. Talk to the body guy, hes is the one that makes things happen.

 

If you're going through the other party's insurance, your policy doesn't matter. Don't waste time reading your policy unless you're using your policy.

The other party owes to put your vehicle back to "pre-loss" condition. They can use whatever parts allow for that. In some cases aftermarket parts are made by the same company that makes OEM, in other cases they are different. What ends up happening is, the insurance company pays to put the vehicle back to pre-loss condition, and in some cases uses aftermarket parts if they are of like-kind-and-quality (LKQ). If the shop attempts to put the aftermarket part on and it doesn't fit like the original part, it is not back to pre-loss condition. The shop will then use the part that fits like the OE part did. That may be used or new OEM, but typically it is the least expensive part that puts the vehicle back to pre-loss condition. People can "demand" whatever they want, but insurance owes to put it back to pre-loss condition. Another aspect to consider, OEM new is the most expensive option (most of the time) and therefore costs more. If you get all new OEM parts, the cost of repair will be closer to a total loss, it'll also show up as the amount of repair on a report which will translate to a more substantial repair if a prospective buyer is looking at it. There are many reasons to have the lowest cost of repair while repairing it to pre-loss condition. There are very few reasons to inflate the repair cost for the same repair.

Another way to think of it, you/they (the party at-fault) owe to put someone's vehicle back to the condition it was seconds before the accident. The vehicle wasn't new, so you/they don't owe new parts. You/they owe MY2021 parts, three years old with three year old fade on the paint and whatever paint chips and brush scratches. That's what's owed. They can't do that (you can't paint a part and include the old fade and chips), but they can use a less expensive new part, a used part (which your parts were), or new OEM parts, whatever fits like the part fit before the accident and paint it to match (as close as they can) the rest of the vehicle. You aren't owed new OEM parts on a used vehicle, but they can't force you to accept parts that don't fit. As someone else stated, you may also have a long wait for new OEM parts, for the same aftermarket part that is available same-day.

Also, everyone bitches about aftermarket parts, but they go out and buy aftermarket parts all the time, that are supposed to be better than OEM. We all buy Oracle/Rigid/KC/Diode Dynamics lights, aftermarket bumpers, tire racks, roof racks, tires, wheels and we aren't all complaining about them not being as good as OE. Let the insurance company and the body shop do their job; don't expect more than is owed, or demand less than you deserve (and if you don't know, they are the same thing).

 

As a retired Mechanical Engineer with over 35 years in metals manufacturing and finishing, I beg to differ with much of what you propose. Yes, there are some aftermarket parts that are as good or better than OEM. Unfortunately, this is a very, very small percentage. And when one looks at crash repair parts, that percentage gets even smaller. Why? Because the insurance companies do not truly care about putting your vehicle back to the condition it was in before the crash. They just want to make it look pretty enough to make most of the population believe they did a great job. Shiny paint goes a long way towards making this reality. But it's what's underneath that truly matters.

Let's look at just sheet metal crash repair parts for just a minute. OEM parts literally bolt / weld right up with minimal fitting required. The aftermarket parts rarely line up at all and if they do, much massaging is required. Many shops simply bolt the parts on and hope the customer doesn't notice the poor fits.

Then there's the primer that the aftermarket slaps on. A dirty little secret in the metal finish world is that metal preparation is critical to long term corrosion resistance. But nobody sees if there's any difference in metal prep - because you can't see it. OEM sheet metal parts generally receive at least a 5-stage preparation process before receiving an electrodeposition primer process. With aftermarket sheet metal, you're lucky if they degrease it before spraying a cheap primer on - which yields far less corrosion resistance no matter what kind of top coat(s) you apply later. If you live in the Rust Belt like I do, this is huge. Three or four years down the road when the repaired parts of your car start rotting out, do you think the insurance company is going to do anything for you? no.

And I simply cannot end any conversation around crash parts without mentioning "CAPA Certified" crash parts. Insurnace companies are quick to point out that even if they don't (or won't) use OEM parts, they use parts that are "CAPA Certified" - so they're just as good. After all, they are "certified" right? Guess who's behind the whole CAPA thing? The insurance companies. And if it's good enough for them, it should be good enough for us, right? Words fail me.

In summary, if your insurance company / policy says they will put your car back into the condition it was in before the crash, did it come with aftermarket, poorly finished, poorly fitting parts? If it did, go with aftermarket. As for me, I'm demanding (and have twice received) OEM parts for all the hard-earned money I've given my insurance company.

 

@Too Stroked I read your entire post and I'm not sure what part of my post, which you quoted, that you disagree with. It doesn't appear to me that what we said is mutually exclusive, that they are in opposition, or differ. In fact, it appears you agree, and then continue to say something else, but not opposed. So, I guess, thanks?

 

I think where i might disagree with you is in two main areas. The first one is how much influence / control the policy holder has in what gets done. Left to their own devices. insurance companies will do what's in their best interest - not the insured's. And their best interest is to spend absolutely as little money as possible to repair the damage. They also have absolutely no interest in how well the repairs hold up over time. Demand OEM parts and only reluctantly accept anything less. After all, your car was built with OEM parts wasn't it?

The other (related) area I disagree with you on is just how good aftermarket parts are as opposed to OEM. Trust me, I have enough friends in the business and deliver OEM parts to Collision Shops all day long. Aftermarket parts - even CAPA Certified parts - are absolutely nowhere near the quality of OEM parts. The only reason they're so popular is that 1) OEM parts are more expensive, 2) Insurance companies push them, and 3) The vast majority of consumers don't have a clue as to the real difference.

I do have to give you props for very well written posts!

 

For my insurance it’s based on age of the vehicle. I can’t remember the cutoff, but after a certain age they will use aftermarket or salvage parts, and then if not available go OEM. On a newer vehicle they use manufacturers parts.

recently I had a vehicle in that got backed into and everything was was OEM. The taillight, bumper, trim pieces, etc. they all were ordered from a dealer website. The manager showed that they could get OEM or aftermarket but said since it’s a newer vehicle and not on my insurance they would run the quote with OEM. It got approved by the other persons insurance with no issues.

 

What the heck is going on here? A battle of posts, but each is agreeing with and complimenting the other...??? I've seen it all now.

 

As most people know, I've very agreeable, conscientious and well-liked by all