Aftermarket Car Parts: Pros And Cons

When it comes to purchasing parts for your vehicle, you're usually faced with two options: factory and aftermarket auto body parts. Factory parts refer to the maker of your vehicle's own, branded products; these are the exact same ones that were installed in your vehicle. Aftermarket auto body parts, on the flip side, may actually be the exact same product, right down to the design and materials used, but your vehicle's developer does not make them. Aftermarket products can be made and distributed by anyone. There are a number of both pros and cons you need to consider before you decide if purchasing aftermarket auto body parts is right for you.

Pros

First and foremost, as you may have guessed, perhaps aftermarket auto body parts' biggest selling point is their price. Generally speaking, a great deal of what you're paying for in the world of auto body parts is the brand name.

Since aftermarket parts do not share the brand name of the developer of your vehicle, you will find that the price you will pay will be considerably lower. In addition, the competition that exists between aftermarket auto body parts developers is quite huge, which tends to keep the prices as low as they possibly can be. Branded, original manufactured parts can be priced as much as 60% more than aftermarket parts.

The second advantage that aftermarket parts have over factory parts is the fact that the selection from which you can choose is absolutely massive. You can select from a wide range of parts that correspond to the part you need to replace on your vehicle. Due to this wide range of parts, some brands will offer features or advantages to the factory part or may address an issue that created some form of inadequate behavior in the factory part.

Finally, your shopping options are second to none when it comes to aftermarket auto body parts. In addition to manufacturer competition keeping prices low, retailers are also in competition to sell these parts. You can often find wholesale and overstock prices readily available online and, as such, you can find a great quality product for a fraction of factory price. 

Cons

Although the quality of aftermarket parts can be a pro, in some regards, as aftermarket manufacturers race to provide you with a product that you would desire over another aftermarket manufacturer, you must also take into consideration that there is no guarantee of quality.

Take into consideration that so many factory parts are mass-produced for mass appeal. This creates less time for quality control and a significantly less time is spent fine-tuning and testing these parts when compared to aftermarket auto body parts. Although most aftermarket parts are of high quality and up to a great standard, you will need to stay aware and shop around in order to avoid parts that are lower quality.

Corresponding to this problem is the fact that, in almost every aftermarket situation, there is no warranty involved. Warranties are, however, standard practice issues in almost every factory auto body part situation. The fit and finish may even be a bit wonky as well. The chances of your aftermarket auto body part fitting and aesthetically corresponding to the rest of your vehicle is quite slim. You may be able to get more of an assurance of quality by buying used auto parts from the factory. 

Aftermarket auto body parts are a tricky subject to broach. On one hand, they are inexpensive and sometimes superior to factory parts, but on the other, they lack the assurance of a factory auto body part's guarantee. Hopefully, this brief article has given you some insight into the choice you will invariably have to make.