The title of today’s Nylund’s Response is:

Say What?!?

The original article states:

Excellent Warranty
Parts manufacturers want their products to flawlessly work on every intended application. A warranty placed on the parts protects against improper fitment or function for months after technicians install the replacement components on the vehicle. Drivers can bring their vehicle back to the shop to report any issues with the way the parts work. At that point, technicians can perform quick repairs or send the parts back in for replacement to rectify the problem. Although outright failure rarely happens, clients and technicians alike appreciate this commitment to excellent from aftermarket parts suppliers.

Are we still talking about AFTERMARKET parts?  There’s only one way to guarantee that parts work flawlessly on every intended application.  And that is to use the parts that were DESIGNED FLAWLESSLY to work flawlessly.  Any change to the design (which is the very definition of reverse-engineered and made-differently aftermarket parts) immediately discounts a part’s ability to work “flawlessly”.

Warrantees do not protect against improper “fitment” (is that a word?) or function. Warrantees pay when cheap, ill-fitting and poorly crafted parts fail. Suggesting that any part is “better” because the manufacturer backs it with a warrantee is like saying “take our word for it… if it breaks, we’ll give you another one.”

Note the shift in responsibility in the next sentence… “Drivers can bring their vehicle back to the shop to report any issues…”. It’s subtle – but this idea is rampant among corner-cutters in the collision industry. It puts the quality control inspection all on the customer and makes the assumption that it’s not “wrong” if no one complains.

The original article goes on to say:

Lower Price
When automakers source body panels and other components from parts manufacturers, they essentially act as an intermediary in the transaction. Having a middleman often drives up the cost for the consumer as the parts change hands several times. Auto body technicians can place an order straight from the aftermarket parts suppliers to obtain the lowest price possible for their clients. The lower price point can eliminate the need for clients having to pay for repairs exceeding the insurance coverage amount. Lower repair costs may also keep monthly insurance rates from rising after making a claim.

Auto manufacturers source their parts from manufacturers who design them to fit perfectly with the overall design and safety standards of the vehicle(s) they are making. Auto body shops (not technicians) purchase parts from distributors (the actual middlemen that the article is trying to suggest increase the cost of the parts) – not from the aftermarket manufacturers.

It is ridiculous to suggest that aftermarket parts are better than OEM because they are “cheaper”. Consider this logic by simply opening up your refrigerator or wardrobe.  Do you purchase the least expensive “everything”? Of course not.  But what about where ultimate safety is concerned?  Do bridge builders, building contractors, or engineers who design our roadways opt for the least-expensive building materials? Such a notion is simply unthinkable.

We wrap up our CONSUMER ALERT on aftermarket parts by addressing the things that really matter.

At Nylund’s Collision Center, we do not have customers… we have guests.  And nothing is more important to us than our guests’ safety and that of their loved ones.  We will not use aftermarket parts on safety related or structural parts – ever. We take our responsibility to repair your vehicle to it’s pre-accident condition very seriously.  We will not cut corners to help insurance companies increase their profit margins.  At Nylund’s… if it isn’t perfect… it isn’t leaving.

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