AD.COM - Aftermarket Parts Industry Fighting for Market Share w/ OEM Dealers

[AutomotiveDigest]

Summary:

"Independent repair shops represent 75 percent of the aftermarket business and these shops are increasingly turning to original equipment dealers for replacement parts."

To view full Digest, visit:
http://www.automotivedigest.com/view_art.asp?articlesID=15348

Please post your comments!

[Jim L]

This is no surprise – with the amount of poorly made products available to shops, technicians get frustrated quickly once they feel they have done the job right and the vehicle still comes back with a problem. I have see the foundries oversees where some companies are purchasing brake rotors. I have watched guys pushing sand into forms and pouring hot metal into them by hand. Then using CNC machines that look like they were from the 40’s. All for a few pennies an hour. This practice is rapid oversees. Cheap labor, poor quality controls = poor quality parts. The OEM’s have a vested interest in the parts they use on their vehicles. A number of years ago the dealers realized the amount of business they were loosing to the aftermarket and got more competitive with their pricing to the public for parts. Actually a very smart move.

[71Datsun510]

The other day my car was shuddering under accelaration and I figured it had to be the distributor cap and rotor, but upon inspection I also found a faulty ignition coil. I went to Pep Boys and purchased the parts there assuming the dealer would sell them 2 to 3 times as expensive. After installation the car ran like crap so if there was something else wrong I couldnt think of it. A friend told me that when it came to electronics or electrical systems for his car he only uses dealer parts. I figured everything is made is china so what was the big deal. He insisted on using dealer parts, so we went to Honda and ordered the parts there. First off, it was 20% cheaper than Pep Boys and upon installation the car ran like new. As stated above, higher quality control makes for higher quality parts, and the extremely competitive dealer prices hopefully begin being reflected across the entire parts spectrum.