Whilst you may have done your best to look after your car, there are still times when you are going to need to organise for work to be carried out on it. Unfortunately, this means that you not only have to pay out for the labour of a mechanic to work on your car, but also the parts too.
Some car owners decide to allow their garage to source the parts that they need for them, whereas some prefer to do it themselves. This could be looking for parts online such as with us here at Compare The Car Part, or perhaps heading to a high street store.
If you are looking for car parts online, you may wonder whether or not it is a good idea to buy genuine manufacturer, or if it is better to opt for aftermarket car parts?
Genuine Manufacturer parts
Also known as OEM, these parts are made by the manufacturer and will be the perfect match to the part that is already found in your vehicle. They are easy to find, source and order, you will simply need to give your local dealershop the registration of your vehicle and what part you are looking for and they can link you to one that is going to be the right fit. You will also be likely to receive a warranty on the part.
The main downside of these genuine parts is that they are much more expensive than their aftermarket alternatives. This can be as much as 60%, which is a considerable cost if you are already paying out for labour.
Another thing to keep in mind is that OEM parts are often much harder to come across and you are going to need to order them and then often wait a few days to source the item and then have it delivered into the dealership. Ready for you to pick up or have delivered to you.
Aftermarket Car Parts
The other alternative is a car part that has not been made by the manufacturer, but instead made by another company. There are many places that manufacturer these parts and in the most part, they work just as well as their official counterparts. They do not have an impact on the warranty of your car, so long as they are a direct replacement of a faulty car part.
One of the biggest plus points to buying aftermarket parts is that they are usually much less expensive than OEM parts. You do need to be aware that those parts that are available at rock bottom prices may not be the type of quality that you are looking for, so go careful on what you choose.
Another great thing about aftermarket car parts is that there are lots of them available for you to choose from, you won’t have to worry about waiting a long time to find the part that you really need. You can usually receive the part next day, which means that your garage of choice can get working on your car.
You do need to be aware that not all aftermarket car parts come with a warranty, so you need to make sure that this is something that you need to keep an eye on.
Buying car parts comes as part of owning a car, so make sure that you find the right car part, at the right price and your car will be back on the road in no time at all.
