Should I Use Factory Repacement Parts in my Car?

A lot of people are under the assumption that parts are parts, and getting the lowest price on a certain part for your vehicle is key in deciding what or where to buy. This is about as far from the truth as possible. As a rule of thumb, and as many cases in life agree, you get what you pay for. This stands true for automotive parts and accessories very much.

I know times are tough and in an economy where every penny counts, getting the best deal is usually of the highest priority. Take into consideration a few of the big items in your life. Your home, your vehicle, your family.

Those three areas are a good place not to skimp on. You wouldn’t take your child to anything less than the best doctor, and you would want the best quality repair work done on your home as well. As for your vehicle, keep the same approach. You obviously need your car to get to and from work, run errands, etc. You don’t need it sitting in a repair shop again and again.

When you need parts to repair your vehicle, the absolute best place to get them is from the dealership. Yes, they are usually more expensive, but in just about every situation you can count on a quality part that the dealership will stand behind. You will always get a better warranty on parts from the dealer, usually 12 months or 12,000 miles. Get the same part from a parts store and you have 30 to 90 days at best.

Sure, there are circumstances where aftermarket parts stores are fine. Every day things like spark plugs, oil and filters, windshield wipers, etc, are fine to get at a place where you can save some money. Other items, such as electronics like computers, fuel pumps, ignition modules and other engine sensors should always be purchased  from your dealership. The quality is there compared to cheaply made aftermarket parts. Some other items I would always recommend to purchase from a dealership would be suspension components, engine and transmission parts, interior parts, and if necessary due to a wreck, body parts. You’ll always get a better fit and finish with a genuine dealer part.

Here’s an example of a recent job for a customer where they insisted on using aftermarket parts. I had a vehicle in that needed a new fuel pump. The price for the pump through the dealer was close to $500, not including labor. They chose to save money and get an aftermarket fuel pump from the parts store across the street which cost them under $200. It installed fine and the car ran after the repair was completed. Less than a month later, the car was towed in again not running. The fuel pump had gone out. Now, luckily it was still under warranty from the parts store, so they got another one for free, but they had to pay the labor again to reinstall another fuel pump. With the total amount now they had spent, they could have purchased a genuine part and not had this trouble. We had told them about this possibility when they originally wanted the aftermarket piece.

So remember the differences here and use your best judgement when it come to parts to repair your vehicle. It may cost a bit more now to do it right, but you’ll save in the long run.

Live Chat
I have a 1997 Chevy Tahoe just replaced fuel pump, was driving wth it warmed up was doing fine and about an hour later it started chugging and stalled but fired right back up any ideas?

ProTech:
If you replaced the fuel pump for this problem, then that was not the cause. You may have plugged catalytic converters, a bad sensor, etc. Scan the computer for any stored trouble codes that may lead toward the problem. If this just started after replacement, then you need to check fuel pressure as it is stalling. It is possible you got a bad pump, or the fuel filter is plugged.

Honda CRV

The ABS light in my 2003 Honda CRV comes on and stays on after egine warms up after 5-8 mins…depends on temperature of day.

OK, the first thing you need to do is get the vehicle scanned so you can know what code or codes you have. That will at least give me a better idea on how to help you. Right now, it would all just be guesses.