Whether you’re the type of person who likes to work on car problems yourself or you’d rather let a professional handle them, you’ll need to be the one who buys the car parts necessary for the repair. Some car shops will pick out the pieces for you, but if you need to give input on what they should use, it’s best to know if you’d rather have OEM parts or aftermarket ones. People constantly go back and forth on which type is the better option, so we’re here to lay it all out on the table and go over which will be the best option for you.
OEM Parts
Original equipment manufacturer (OEM) parts are the ones made by the company that first produced your car. That means they are the exact same design and quality as the ones currently in your vehicle. If you trust the build quality of your car already, there’s no reason why you wouldn’t be able to rely on OEM parts to be a suitable replacement for whatever you’re trying to fix. Plus, you know that these pieces will be held to the same industry standards as your car.
Aftermarket Parts
On the other side of the argument are aftermarket parts. These are similar parts made by third-party companies that had no role in putting together your vehicle. Typically, they create these pieces by reverse-engineering the OEM ones. Many people didn’t trust these companies’ products back in the early days because of their poor processes and low-quality end products. It created a mindset that OEM was the only way to go.
These days, though, many third-party manufacturers have built trusted brands that sometimes make a better quality product than the original car company. This has led to the market leveling out a bit and even being in favor of aftermarket parts at times.
Which You Should Choose
So the question remains, are OEM or aftermarket parts the better choice for you? Well, it really depends on what you want out of them. If you want your vehicle to remain true to its original build, then OEM parts will be the way to go. However, if you know of a third-party company you trust or want to take a chance on some part you’ve heard good things about, you’ll want to buy some aftermarket ones. Honestly, though, there’s really no wrong choice as long as you check online reviews.
However, if you happen to be in the market for some performance transmission parts, Transparts Warehouse is a place you’ll want to check out. We carry aftermarket parts from some of the biggest brands in the industry, so we know you’ll be able to find just the piece you’re looking for.
