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-   -   OEM vs Branded Spare Parts from the after-market (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/technical-stuff/206805-oem-vs-branded-spare-parts-after-market.html)

Like the thread title suggests is there any difference in OEM vs Manufacturer branded parts ?

For example I discovered just today that one my Renault Duster's rear shock absorber has sprung a leak. Immediately called my service manager at the Renault workshop to inquire the pricing and was told that to replace both the shocks I would be looking at around 15-16k including labour and taxes, which I felt was quite high.

So I removed the tyre to check the brand of the shock absorber currently being used on the car which was Monroe. With a little more research I have found the part number and was shocked to hear about the pricing which was only 4k for the set.

My FNG has looked at the car and confirmed that every other component apart from the shock absorber is in perfect nick including the various boots and bushes. He said he would charge 500 to replace both the shocks.

Now I definitely don't want to skimp on something as integral as suspension components but the difference between the A.S.S vs FNG is staggering.

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?

Is there a difference between OEM or aftermarket parts vs car manufacturer parts? Yes, but it depends on which parts. We pay a massive premium to the car manufacturer for certified parts and most come with a warranty.

I replaced my car's brakes - rotors and pads for about 1/3 the cost of new parts from the manufacturer. And am happy with not just the savings but the performance.

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

For Duster the clutch plate assembly comes from Luk. Outside it costs around Rs 9,000, if you get it changed from Renault it will cost you upwards of Rs 20,000.

The injectors in Duster are from continental. Renault quotes something around Rs 25,000 per injector. If you can source it from outside, you will get it for around Rs 8,000 each!

So am not at all shocked by the price difference of the shock-absorbers !

I do exactly the same.

In authorized service centers, labor charges plus GST inflates the bill by a considerable amount too.

Another example - For my Etios, Toyota quoted Rs 9,000 for both the front wheel bearings. I got the bearings of the same brand Toyota use and got it changed in my FNG for Rs 6,000!

I won't discuss the cost part here. There is sometimes a rationale behind pricing where as sometimes there is extortion by OEMs.
I can clearly explain from suppliers point of view here, as i have been there and done that.
I won't go to the depths of engineering now, but in short its below

1. OEM - Parts under close tolerances, close to the mean line of the statistical expected values. The parts supplied to be fitted on the assembly lines are of highest quality and have best tolerances within the permissible ones

2. Spare parts (OEM) - Supplied parts are in the tolerances here too, but they are spread on a broader range of the mean line. For example if the design tolerances are between (+) or (-) 50 microns the OEM parts have measurements of say 10-15 microns around the mean line, where as the spare parts will have say 20-25 microns.

3. After Market parts - These follow loose tolerances. Sometimes they don't even comply with the OEM tolerances. Some manufacturers have their own tolerances and design. I am not saying they are of bad quality, but clearly they are not of the topmost OEM quality and hence cheaper.

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.

Though there may be some difference in quality (like amit mentioned on tolerance) technically both should be same, except for the kind of warranty that OE part carries. If the vehicle is out of warranty, there is no point in sticking with A.S.S

Can we have a separate thread for this information? It should be helpful for the fellow members

That price example is telling. I agree with what you say Amit. But extortionist prices and worse still the tendency of service centres NOT to sell parts OTC are just encouraging car owners to buy 3rd party even OEM supplier spares.

Let me give you an example, my car's braking system is by Bosch, that includes the ABS, calipers, pads and rotors. Now, I had to think very hard before opting for aftermarket parts also made by Bosch instead of buying OEM from Toyota because OEM gives me peace of mind when it comes to a critical system like brakes. I have always been an advocate of genuine spares - until 2018. Had they not performed I'd have changed them without a moment's hesitation with authorised spares.

But here are the prices are including GST:

Front brake pads
Toyota - Approx 10500 incl. GST
Bosch - Approx Rs 1650

Rear brake pads:
Toyota - Approx Rs 7500
Bosch - Approx Rs 950

Front brake rotors
Toyota - 6500
KBX/Bosch Chassis Systems (AKA Chassis Systems) - 2200

Rear brake rotors:
Toyota - Rs 5500
Bosch - Rs 2250

Toyota tacks on about 4K as labour for this service. Note they also sell spares OTC provided you prove ownership by providing the VIN #.

Admittedly those Toyota spares would be superior in quality - but 2x-5x better in proportion with their much higher asking price? Doubt it. Braking performance with the comparatively cheapskate aftermarket parts is very good much better than I expected. Representing one heck of a price to performance ratio and serious VFM in my opinion.

PS - Rotor prices are per unit and brake pad prices are for a set of 4 i.e. for L & R wheels.

To be honest, brake pads and rotors are no rocket science. They are critical when it comes to applications, but they aren't when it comes to choosing after market pads or rotors. Toyota is clearly looting by charging Rs.10,500 for brake pads.

You cannot go wrong anywhere if you choose aftermarket Bosch / Brembo brake pads for your car. I do not see any reason to go with Toyota here.

My Indica headlight is Minda. I bought a Minda headlight, and it's quality was very different from the Tata one.

I have been in the unique situation where branded spare parts bought from the after-market lasted longer than the factory parts! Car in question = My Mercedes C220. Be it the dampers, engine mounts or clutch, all the ones bought from the after-market lasted noticeably longer than the original ones that came with the car. Reason = That idiot Jürgen Schrempp had put Mercedes through a drastic cost cutting exercise.

To answer the OP's question, go ahead & buy branded spare parts from outside without worry. Just be sure you're sourcing your parts from a reputable shop. Lots of fakes around. In Bombay, I trust Shetty Motors (Opera House) & Chandrika Auto (Dadar).

Was better or worse? Please elaborate.

My Wagon R has had the IJL Headlight assembly bought from Kashmere gate. Still no discoloration of the glass.

Let us, for a moment assume, Both OEM and Manufacturer's Branded Product are different and of different quality.

Quality is more to do with, right from selection of raw material, process by which it is manufactured, Quality of machinery used to manufacture, the expertise of the personnel who manufactured, accuracy of measurements, tolerance Bands and so many other factors.

As someone was mentioning in earlier posts, Good Measurement tolerances makes the accuracy of the products higher. But, accuracy is not just alone that contributes to quality. In order to increase the quality of the product, all the factors(few mentioned above) must be considered. So, Manufacturers have to create and maintain two separate lines to produce High and Low quality products

Are we saying, same manufacturer has two separate assembly lines to manufacture High and low quality products for two segments of customers(Individual customers and OEM Car companies)?

In the name of "Quality" dealers are creating hype and selling the same manufacturer's parts at huge margin. All they do is, package the same product differently.

I think It is too capital intensive to have a separate production line for OEM supply and aftermarket. They may, however, source it from other factories in the same or different countries.

The difference mainly lies in the source and grade/quality of raw materials used in manufacture while the production line remains the same. Quality Control and Assurance checks would be more stringent for OEM supply because each shipment will be randomly tested for quality acceptance by the car manufacturer. They have to meet specs laid down by the customer/car manufacturer. I'd like to add an exception is automotive batteries where aftermarket are frequently of better quality than OEM supply.

Taking the example of the brake pads I enumerated earlier. If one were to look at OEM/Toyota pads and the cheapo aftermarket Bosch the difference in quality is quite easy to see. One sees a better-manufactured pad in the Toyota genuine part - from the shims, the material ceramic or semi-metallic (run your finger over the pad, if it leaves a mark there's a possibility it generates a lot of dust) inclusion of accessories like brake hardware i.e. caliper clips and lubricant/grease.

It certainly offers peace of mind vis a vis quality, compatibility and performance. But then as I discovered much to my surprise the cheap Bosch aftermarket parts aren't bad at all. Drawbacks? My observation tells me they may be heating up too fast which while providing bite also leave patches of material on the rotor if one were to depress the brake pedal whilst stationary. This kind of patch ca cause vibrations whilst braking but thankfully I have not experienced it just yet. Therefore, my concern with these pads is brake fade - something I need to evaluate further after doing more highway runs. I followed an extended bedding-in procedure for both pads and rotors.

Net-net, there are tradeoffs on price, quality and performance. It is up to you as the owner to decide what is acceptable and what is not.

I would like to answer this question based on the knowledge i have gained over the many months of building my BMW E46.

For better understanding i will use BMW as a manufacturer & its parts suppliers as a reference in my post.

IMO there are totally 4 sources/options/categories of parts available;

1)Genuine BMW;

These are parts from those manufacturers that were originally installed during production of the vehicle.
If you want to buy supposing a Genuine BMW suspension, though the supplier for the suspension would be SACHS but these would be having the BMW logo or some other symbol to show these are Genuine BMW.

2)OE;

When a manufacturer of these Automotive components makes parts, they often create the same exact part, and sell it under their own brand. These are called OE or Original Equipment parts. Other than this being their own brand, OE parts are the same quality as most genuine parts.
For example if Sachs intends to sell the same suspension mentioned in point 1, its part in the market will be termed as OE.
OE parts are a popular choice since the cost savings can be substantial in most cases.

3)OEM;

OEM parts are those produced by a manufacturer that meets the same quality standards and produce at least one part for a vehicle manufacturer.
Suppose Sachs is providing Suspension as a Genuine BMW part, but Sachs also makes Clutch kits, but Genuine BMW supplier for the Clutch kit is LUK hence if someone buys clutch kits manufactured by Sachs then that Sachs clutch kit will become an OEM part.

4)Aftermarket Parts;

Aftermarket parts are created as an alternative to Genuine BMW or OE or OEM parts. The manufacturer of these Aftermarket Parts can be a reputed brand or a Chinese product or may be an unknown/new manufacturer too.

My Tip would be considering the savings one achieves, its ideal to stick to OE or OEM parts unless it is an absolute necessary to go in for Genuine Parts.
Aftermarket parts should usually be only chosen in non-critical components.

I can say one thing with certainty that the OEM parts fitted with the vehicle are of the highest quality, compared to OEM Spares or aftermarket spares from same manufacturer/vendor. They go through numerous quality checks and the vendor is penalized in case of rejection bya OEM Quality Assurance Dept.

As for OEM spares or aftermarket spares, there is no guarantee of the same quality as OEM fitted parts - it may vary from OEM and manufacturer.

Some OEMs have almost similar Quality control for OEM Spares, as for their vehicle assembly. If not, there is a very high chance of material rejected at OEM vehicle assembly plant, being routed by manufacturer/vendor to OEM Spares with different packaging, and the same material being sold as OEM spares in market.

In case of aftermarket spares being sold directly by the manufacturer/vendor in the market, the onus of quality assurance lies with the concerned manufacturer, therefore, one can never be sure. Here the customer must make an educated decision, taking in to account the reputation & market standing of the aforesaid manufacturer. Furthermore, the probability of rejected material from OEM vehicle assembly being sold as aftermarket spares is even higher as compared to OEM Spares, unless the OEM has policy of scrapping the rejections.

Great Thread with lots of information and will certainly be useful for people like me, who is yet to change any major technical parts of car. Thanks for all your inputs members!