Recently we posted an article – published by another Denver area body shop that argued the case that aftermarket parts were “just as good as OEM”. (Click here for the article in its entirety, posted on our Facebook page) We asked for the input of industry leaders, and they did not disappoint!
Today, we begin our multi-part series of the Nylund’s reply to the points made in the original article:
The original article starts by saying:
Auto body technicians see all sorts of damage from deep scratches to shredded panels on vehicles damaged in a collision or by vandals. The damage requires the use of new parts and materials to restore the vehicle to its original condition.
You’ve Outsourced and It Shows
In an article that suggests that aftermarket or third-party parts are just as good as OEM, we find no small irony that for all intents and purposes, it appears that even the authorship of the article appears to be… obviously “aftermarket”.
It is our opinion, and that of many of our industry partners across the US, that NO BODY SHOP EXPERT could have written this article. And while we find no issue with ghost-writing services in general – we do object when incorrect and ultimately unsafe information is presented as if it came from an industry expert. There are far too many errors in the article to believe for a moment that an actual body shop owner (or technician, for that matter) actually wrote this article.
We agree that auto body techs see all sorts of damage. We’ll also agree to the concept that said damage requires parts and materials to repair the vehicle to it’s “pre-accident” condition. But that’s about all we are going to agree on, and in the interest of public safety – we’re setting the record straight as it relates to how – and WHY – we do what we do here at Nylund’s.
The original article states: Auto body technicians must source the necessary parts from a number of manufacturers, depending on cost and availability.
Technicians do not source parts. Parts managers or office staff source parts. Here at Nylund’s, we source from the manufacturer because OEM parts are the ONLY parts that are specifically patented to fit and perform to the original safety standards designed for your vehicle.
The original article goes on to say: Although technicians strive to save their clients time and money, it’s also important to obtain only the highest quality parts for the repairs.
There is an intrinsic conflict in this sentence. Again, it’s not the technician’s role to save customers time or money. But even if it were – that has nothing to do with obtaining only the highest quality parts for the repairs. In most cases, it is not the customer’s money being spent to make the repair – it is the insurance company’s money. And THAT is the real issue here.
The only two entities that benefit from suggesting that aftermarket parts are as good as OEM are the makers of aftermarket parts – and the insurance companies. The more money the insurance companies save by buying aftermarket parts means the more profit they make. This, however, has ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to do with obtaining the highest quality parts for your vehicle’s repair.
In our next article, we’ll tackle the suggestion that aftermarket parts manufacturers “meet or exceed” quality metrics used by the original manufacturers.