[dip27in]

A very interesting thread, where I have few things to say about couple of OEM products which I have adopted over a period of time. After couple of terrific experiences at authorized workshop, I have no faith in OEM products and the quality of service carried out.

Case 1:

HONDA CIVIC and VTEC ( 2000): Both the cars run on aftermarket support, with better quality products, for example Civic comes with Monjal Showa products ( costs around 28k for four). I have replaced them with Kayaba Red at a cost 24k, which makes the car handle much better than OE shock absorbers at lesser cost. Same hold true for the NISSIN brake pads came with the car ( Lasted around 30k) and after that I have shifted to BREMBO, which came at half of the cost and is holding well. For me the experience of braking is better with no hint of fading which used to be problem in case of NISSIN.

Same for VTEC, the shock absorbers were again changed to TRW at half of the cost. Except for critical parts which is manufacture specific like coolant pipe lines I stick to better quality After market product lines.

CASE 2 : Skoda Vrs 2005:

I dont remember when I have visited the workshop for repairs. The car runs without any error. Thanks to my friends and excellent online support option for the cars. All the OE parts, which made it an unreliable car, failed and were replaced with better Aftermarket supports. The car has done close to 1.05 lacs and still feels new and rock solid in all possible ways.

CASE 3: BMW 325i E46. :

Indian dealership makes a huge margin when it comes to such cars. They charge a bomb for even for basic consumables like filters. I depend on MANN products and SACHS oR ZF line of products for suspension components. They car is around 14 year old and still feels neat.

I use an AUTEL CAR OBD2 ( AUTEL Maxisys Pro MS 908P) scanner in line with the above so that the cars stay neat and free from errors. It helps me to resolve most of the issue. I love studying the problems and I do work on friend's car as well ( just for fun and experience). I can go on sharing my experience with other brand of cars as well, which I own but this should sum up all.

[greenhorn]

Originally Posted by GTO

Was better or worse? Please elaborate.

worse - its a mixed bag. an aftermarket fog was the exact same, but the headlight was different - I suspect is was from a different indica generation/variant

I had posted about this when this topic came up on another thread
https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/modif...ml#post4338849 (Best sites to buy parts online)
my post on the headlight assembly is on the subsequent page

[devarshi84]

Do you buy and replace tyres and batteries in your vehicles with the brands of your choice? Well, the same applies to parts too.

If Suzuki and Hyundai don't use Michelin or MRF, that doesn't make them a bad tyres. The same is the case with Exide and Amaron batteries and reputed engine oil brands.

But because car parts are brand or model specific and because almost all car brands had monopolized retail availability of their spares, we consumers tend to be suspicious whether to purchase from outside or not.

Just make sure, the part purchased is from a reputed company and a direct replacement and you should be alright.

The parts are expensive at the dealer for various reasons. It includes, 2-3 tiers of taxes, profits and logistics costs with the brand and dealer included. parts for discontinued vehicles increases multifold due to storage costs. On the other hand, the part you buy from the market is straight from the manufacturer most of the times.

[superbad]

A.S.S will always charge extra due to their need to stay afloat & maintain desired profit margin. IMO, ideally any component manufactured by the OEM for sale, whether over-the counter or to a car manufacturer, should come with same quality & tolerances, as explained elsewhere in this thread. To me, different quality for retail sale & sale to car manufacturer, is unethical. If I feel the A.S.S. is overcharging, I should have the option of purchasing the original part from outside & getting it fitted by the A.S.S. I'll foot whatever labor they charge, but I put my foot down when they overcharge me for the spare part. All this WITHOUT getting the warranty voided.

[anjan_73]

In my experience if in warranty get the original parts so that the warranty does not get void, after that you can go for OEM parts. I have done it and do not find any issues with the performance.

[Tgo]

Originally Posted by cooldude1988765

So long story short is there any difference in the Renault branded Monroe shock absorber and the regular Monroe shock absorber apart from the price of course?

In today's world vehicle manufacturers are just doing assembly. Every part installed on the car is sourced from some or the other vendor. The reason parts from Renault is higher priced is because of the stamping of the Renault Part No. and Brand logo on the part which the part supplier has to incorporate. Also the 20,000 km or 6 month fitment warranty that Renault gives on spares.

Same parts are available without this branding or warranty through the part supplier. It's perfectly normal to use the same as long as the parts are sourced through a genuine channel.

[Kosfactor]

Originally Posted by amit_mechengg

The pricing that the OEMs do include logistics, heavy profits and overheads added. Example - a part that supplier invoices to OEM for Rs.680 is sold by OEM in the packaging for Rs.2800.

Correct me please if I got this wrong , A part that is invoiced to the manufacturer at INR 680 and being sold to public at INR 2800 by authorized service center can be in quality better than what public would otherwise buy from aftermarket for say INR1200.

[vamsi2390]

Originally Posted by R2D2

Caveat - use only authorised parts if the car is in warranty otherwise just go ahead and get the shock absorbers replaced at the FNG.

I do not think it matters if the car is in warranty or not for some parts.
For example, Duster's shock absorbers are under warranty for 40000km or 2 years which ever comes earlier. They are not covered under extended warranty. In such cases, i think it does not matter if the car is still under warranty or not as the suspension warranty has already expired.

[vinit.merchant]

Vehicle within warranty = OEM @ A.S.S.

Vehicle out of warranty
Here there are two considerations
OEM Spares bought outside A.S.S.
Non OEM (After market)

The answer to this question really depends on a lot of scenarios
One GTO already mentioned above.
Another example I can quote of, is Royal Enfield : Replaced chain of my bullet and I was suggested by everyone to buy for an aftermarket brand, hands down. Not a single person recommended OEM, including the workshop owner.

It all boils down to what the manufacturer priority was.
For brands like VW/Skoda I might stick to OEM spares. For others like Tata, I wouldn't think twice before choosing after market.

It also matters how critical the component is. The more critical it is, the better to stick to either OEM @ A.S.S. or OEM Spares.

[emkay.india]

Slightly OT. My Swift is 11 yrs old and am about to replace the rear suspension. Front suspension was replaced at ASC for about 20k. I now realize I must've replaced it outside So for replacing rear suspension, can someone suggest a good authentic OEM supplier in Chennai for Maruti? Thanks.

[kunaldhami]

Being in Auto Parts business I have seen many genuine/OE/aftermakret/fake parts.
Generally you can not go wrong with any reputed manufacturer but yes I have seen some Indian OE manufacturer making different quality material for aftermarket and OE business so you can not say that OE manufacturer = same quality as original one.

[One:1]

I've rather been in the same dilemma for a couple of years.
The problem is that the A.S.S prices have gone up drastically

Is there anyone in Chennai who knows of a reputed shop to buy OEM parts and also a garage that can execute the work in a neat fashion?

It's for a 2002 Honda City.

Main parts that i need right now
1. All 4 shock absorbers (Brand-Showa (i think its Munjan Showa to be Precise))
2. New Discs and Drums- pads are made by Nisin
3. Possibly a new clutch soon? Current one has run 174,000kms so far(stock clutch)
4. Release Bearing

or if anyone has tried and tested other brands, i don't mind either
all inputs are welcome

[NiInJa]

I was in exact same situation as that of the OP, my dad's Beat developed a leakage in the rear shock absorber. I called Chevrolet service center and they said they would charge 4000 Rs for each side, then I took the car to local FNG and he changed both of them and I saved about 2500 INR. Its been two years now and the car is running perfectly fine.

Another case where my brother's Linea's clutch plate assembly was changed, not sure if OEM parts were used but can say that the car has run 9000 kms and is in fact much better than the stock assembly. I took the word of my FNG owner for this as he is an expert. My friend showed him his i20 for the infamous steering rack issue and he explained why OEM part should be taken instead of cheaper brand which he could source from Mumbai. So we got the OEM one at a higher price.

In my opinion, although there are certain critical parts which must be OEM, its ok to get it from other brands too as long as they are original. The best solution is consulting the automobile expert from your FNG, getting a list of what parts are needed then sourcing them from authorised service centers and getting it fitted at the FNG. DO note that some manufacturers like Honda and VW don't sell it over-the-counter though.

[rupdeb]

I could buy the OEM diesel filter (right one) for Nissan Micra from the aftermarket for 750 bucks whereas the same part (left one) is sold by Renault/Nissan in their service centres for around 2000 bucks. The water sensor is available for another 450 bucks. I sourced this only after the warranty got over.



But then for certain manufacturers like Nissan/Renault simple OEM parts like air filter, oil filter or cabin air filter are not available in the aftermarket; you can only get the equivalent ones from other reputed(debatable) brands like Bosch, Sofima, Purolator.

Regards,
Debrup.

[R2D2]

Originally Posted by vamsi2390

I do not think it matters if the car is in warranty or not for some parts. For example, Duster's shock absorbers are under warranty for 40000km or 2 years which ever comes earlier. They are not covered under extended warranty. In such cases, i think it does not matter if the car is still under warranty or not as the suspension warranty has already expired.

Well, obviously I don't know the warranty fine print in all cars.

I speak from my experience. For e.g. Toyota gives new car owners a 3 year 100K kms transferable warranty in which suspension parts are included. And they are very clear about none other than Toyota ASCs being authorised to make repairs, adjustments and maintenance. The factory supplied battery carries a 1-year warranty after which one is free to get a replacement part in the market. But they note these small details in the service job card. Believe it or not, right down to such details like which horns, ICE system etc are used even for an old car like mine.

My caution pertains to checking the warranty for your particular car and taking the appropriate decision. If Renault's warranty does not specify who can or cannot replace shock absorbers after the suspension warranty expires with non-genuine/OEM parts then, by all means, do so and save some $$ in the process.