OEM vs aftermarket part?

[steve_2020]

Okay, not a big part. Accidentally broke this part on my glove box

OEM part is only $25 vs about $11 for aftermarket. Anyone have any experience on this one? Usually try to do OEM on parts like this, but didn’t know if it was worth the extra money.

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[Nitrousfedlx]

For the few extra dollars definitely get the oem because u know it's right. I wouldn't roll the dice to save 10 or 15 dollars. My .02 cents.

 

[ORRadtech]

Without seeing the two parts side by side it's hard to make a call. Since the cost between the two is so small I would go with the stock piece. If the part is super expensive from Ford and I can get a good rebuilt or aftermarket piece I may go aftermarket. Example: my daughter had a Focus and the power steering rack died. Ford wanted $2400 for the part but I found a rebuilt one with the same warranty for $800.
For sensors I will always spend the money for OEM.

 

[G.T.]

One thing to look at is who made the aftermarket part and if that company makes those kinds of parts (and may even be an OEM supplier for those kinds of parts).

Also on struts and dampers like that, the force and feel may be off, too.

I put aftermarket trunk struts on another car and they were quite a bit stronger. Had to mix an old one and a new one to get it to my liking.

 

[petronix]

I noticed mine wasn't connected. I connected it. Later I broke it while changing the cabin air filter. It doesn't really do much, so I left it. With the little it does and it's seeming fragility, I'd go cheap on that part. I would be interested to know if the non-OEM is actually better than OEM on this one.

 

[S550HPP]

I just ordered a new OEM damper...IMO most aftermarket stuff is crap, but might get lucky like Wix air filters haha

 

[Garfy]

I just ordered a new OEM damper...IMO most aftermarket stuff is crap, but might get lucky like Wix air filters haha

Yeah, especially if they're made in China, which most clone parts are. Something like the damper may not be a big deal but I definitely go OEM or at least U.S. made aftermarket parts if it's a sensor or other electrical part like coils, relays, etc.

 

[ORRadtech]

I just ordered a new OEM damper...IMO most aftermarket stuff is crap, but might get lucky like Wix air filters haha

Yeah, especially if they're made in China, which most clone parts are. Something like the damper may not be a big deal but I definitely go OEM or at least U.S. made aftermarket parts if it's a sensor or other electrical part like coils, relays, etc.

Most aftermarket parts are iffy at best. And it's hard to tell sometimes if the OEM parts you order are real or counterfeit.
But sometimes the aftermarket part is a whole lot better than the OEM replacement. An example is the Dorman replacement oil cooler/filter housing on some Chrysler V6s. The Dorman is made from aluminum where the Chrysler part is a very failure prone plastic. It's a significant improvement.
And dealers are charging outrageous prices for parts. Example, Ford wants $145ish for a single coil pack for my Edge. Rock Auto wants $43 for the same part. Or is it? They're a reputable company and I hope saving $100 per oil is worth the gamble.

 

[steve_2020]

Most aftermarket parts are iffy at best. And it's hard to tell sometimes if the OEM parts you order are real or counterfeit.
But sometimes the aftermarket part is a whole lot better than the OEM replacement. An example is the Dorman replacement oil cooler/filter housing on some Chrysler V6s. The Dorman is made from aluminum where the Chrysler part is a very failure prone plastic. It's a significant improvement.
And dealers are charging outrageous prices for parts. Example, Ford wants $145ish for a single coil pack for my Edge. Rock Auto wants $43 for the same part. Or is it? They're a reputable company and I hope saving $100 per oil is worth the gamble.

That’s my thought. Wondering if all of these type of parts come from the same place in China.

 

[Garfy]

Most aftermarket parts are iffy at best. And it's hard to tell sometimes if the OEM parts you order are real or counterfeit.
But sometimes the aftermarket part is a whole lot better than the OEM replacement. An example is the Dorman replacement oil cooler/filter housing on some Chrysler V6s. The Dorman is made from aluminum where the Chrysler part is a very failure prone plastic. It's a significant improvement.
And dealers are charging outrageous prices for parts. Example, Ford wants $145ish for a single coil pack for my Edge. Rock Auto wants $43 for the same part. Or is it? They're a reputable company and I hope saving $100 per oil is worth the gamble.

True generally. In some cases, I found Dorman parts better and sometimes worse, depending upon their sourcing. In your case with the plastic cooler, yeah, I chuckle because a lot of those earlier Chrysler products were bad. I know that their solid-state cooling fan relay (used on Dodge, Plymouth and Jeep models) had a ton of revisions based on the original component's part number and what you received from the dealer, yet they still failed; either wouldn't turn the fan on resulting in overheating or stuck on so it kills your battery if you didn't notice the fan running after you parked it. Also, things like their transmission shifter assemblies for the Chrysler 300 and some Jeep models (I had to replace a few of them) where everything seems great being metal and all, but the one critical part, the shifter interlock release has a lever/link from the solenoid that's made of plastic. All the shifters I replaced couldn't get out of park because the plastic part broke. Why couldn't they make it out of metal like the other parts of the shifter? These things turned me off to Chrysler products; maybe Stellantis has a better record in making them better.

On Rockauto you can usually find if the part is made in China or elsewhere; I'll even buy a part made in Israel or Mexico before I get a chinese made one. I had too many experiences with chinese parts that fail very, very quickly (MasterPro parts from O'reilly are all made in China). One guy in our shop replaced a front bearing assembly for a Silverado; he didn't even make it to the alignment rack from his repair bay when the bearing broke and damaged the brake caliper along the way. At least O'reilly gave us the new caliper and bearing (we insisted on a Precision brand bearing assy. which was made in the U.S. this time) but our shop had to eat the labor.

 

[luc]

Yeah, especially if they're made in China, which most clone parts are. Something like the damper may not be a big deal but I definitely go OEM or at least U.S. made aftermarket parts if it's a sensor or other electrical part like coils, relays, etc.

????
Where it’s made, China or here, has no bearing on the quality of the parts
What matters is the manufacturing specs
A lot of oem parts are manufactured in China
Your Iphone is manufactured there… do you have a problem with it ?????

 

[S550HPP]

Most aftermarket parts are iffy at best. And it's hard to tell sometimes if the OEM parts you order are real or counterfeit.
But sometimes the aftermarket part is a whole lot better than the OEM replacement. An example is the Dorman replacement oil cooler/filter housing on some Chrysler V6s. The Dorman is made from aluminum where the Chrysler part is a very failure prone plastic. It's a significant improvement.
And dealers are charging outrageous prices for parts. Example, Ford wants $145ish for a single coil pack for my Edge. Rock Auto wants $43 for the same part. Or is it? They're a reputable company and I hope saving $100 per oil is worth the gamble.

I would definitely get OE coil packs and spark plugs. Seems like a ridiculous price but the cost of a failure can be much higher even if it's just getting OE after the fact but aftermarket should be purchased local so can return no hassles.

 

[ORRadtech]

I would definitely get OE coil packs and spark plugs. Seems like a ridiculous price but the cost of a failure can be much higher even if it's just getting OE after the fact but aftermarket should be purchased local so can return no hassles.

I absolutely prefer OE coil packs. But why the huge difference between a dealer and a company like RockAuto? I've used RA for years and always gotten quality parts and OE parts when I ordered them. I realize that a dealer has overhead as a brick & mortar store. But 3 times the price?

 

[S550HPP]

RA should have OE at better price than dealer....maybe bosch would be decent aftermarket.....I believe it's the heat that kills cheaper coil packs prematurely. The huge price difference is an indicator.....but I appreciate the lure of aftermarket especially premium brand.

 

[Garfy]

????
Where it’s made, China or here, has no bearing on the quality of the parts
What matters is the manufacturing specs
A lot of oem parts are manufactured in China
Your Iphone is manufactured there… do you have a problem with it ?????

I don't have an iPhone.

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