Guide to Purchasing Automotive Parts

From the moment of owning their first car, automotive parts have become the primary concern for car owners. Various automotive parts and maintenance components accompany the entire journey of car ownership. However, today's automotive parts market is mixed, with many car owners often purchasing counterfeit goods at the price of genuine parts. A systematic organization of some truths about the automotive parts market today is expected to help us better identify and choose.

Original Parts, Recommended Rating: 4 Stars

I know nothing about original parts. When the car is still under warranty, the parts replaced by the 4S shop are all original parts. However, many people have a misconception that the original parts are produced by the original manufacturer, which is not necessarily the case. Most automotive parts are produced by authorized manufacturers according to the original manufacturer's technology and standards. Such products usually have three labels, namely the original logo, the OEM brand logo, and the manufacturer's part number.

Although most of these original parts are not produced by the automotive manufacturer, the production process and standards are based on the original manufacturer and are also authorized by the original manufacturer. Therefore, the quality of original parts is not much different from that of the original manufacturer due to good craftsmanship and strict standards. However, the price is also the highest. These original parts are generally only distributed to 4S stores. However, because 4S stores usually cannot digest so many original parts, the remaining parts are handed over to automotive parts suppliers, who sell them to various repair shops. Therefore, it is not surprising to see original parts in repair shops.

Offline Parts, Recommended Rating: 1 Star

Original parts with various defects or quality problems have another name, "offline parts." Offline parts also come from factories, but this is because defective products are discarded by the factory and then picked up by some unscrupulous merchants, flowing into the automotive parts market. Even if the price is cheaper, it is not recommended for car owners to use these offline parts, as defective products often bring huge quality and safety risks, so don't lose out.

Brand Parts/OEM Parts, Recommended Rating: 5 Stars

The OEM factories that produce automotive parts for the original manufacturer usually produce their own branded products, which are called brand parts or OEM parts. These parts usually do not have the logo of the car brand, and the production standards are slightly lower than those of the original manufacturer. However, the quality of brand products is also qualified, and the price is often only half of the original. These brand parts are usually the most cost-effective choice for ordinary car owners to replace automotive parts.

Accessory Parts, Recommended Rating: 3 Stars

Accessory parts are indeed very cheap, much cheaper than brand parts, but the products of accessory parts are relatively mixed, ranging from excellent automotive suppliers to three small workshops, which may be the source of accessory parts. Therefore, accessory parts products are more suitable for automotive parts experts to select and purchase.

High Fidelity, Recommended Rating: 0 Stars

This is a typical example of everyone's detestable counterfeit goods. This high-quality imitation is not the craftsmanship and quality of the original parts, but tries our best to imitate the appearance of the product, and even the trademark and logo are counterfeited. The price of the sold original parts is much lower than the quality of the brand parts. Many people who know little about automotive parts suffer greatly. The tricks to distinguish these high-quality counterfeits have been mentioned in a previous article, so I won't repeat them here. Interested friends can pay attention to the Six-Armed Automotive Parts Network and see the previous articles.

Recommended Disassembly Parts Index: 2 Stars

Automotive parts are usually taken from dead cars or insurance companies. The market circulation price is also very low. Disassembly automotive parts not only test the owner's experience but also test the owner's luck. Indeed, some disassembled parts have good color, but the ones with poor color are the real ones. Novices are not recommended to enter these goods, which are risky.

The warranty of these automotive parts may surprise you. Because except for the original products, all the above products, even disassembled ones, have a warranty period of 3 to 8 months. So why isn't there a guarantee for the best quality original products? In fact, the original parts are guaranteed, but the process of quality guarantee claims is very complicated and strict, and replacement can only be made after the identification by the manufacturer confirms that there is a problem with the parts. The intermediate period and energy consumption cannot be borne by social repair shops. Therefore, it is just a one-size-fits-all, and there is no warranty for the original parts.

On the contrary, to maintain downstream sales channels, other manufacturers will simplify the claims process. If you want to change it, you can change it. Anyway, the cost is not much. Therefore, other types of accessories, or even disassembled parts, can be guaranteed.

So what should car owners pay attention to when choosing automotive parts? Here are some suggestions:

1. First of all, honestly tell the boss of the auto repair shop that you know more about auto parts. Generally speaking, whether you really know automotive parts or not, the boss of the auto repair shop dare not deceive you again.

2. Before replacing with new parts, try to see these parts in person. Some are of poor quality and can be seen at a glance. Even if they are not good at it, they can also deter auto repair shops and reduce the probability of being kidnapped.

3. We must believe that a commodity is sold one by one. If someone gives you "original products" at a very low price, then nine out of ten are fake. At this time, we must open our eyes and not be blinded by low prices. Otherwise, it's not worth the loss.