When a vehicle is taken to the repair shop, the damaged replacement parts used may include aftermarket parts. Aftermarket parts are not made by the original manufacturer. Depending on who one asks, the aftermarket parts used may be equal, better, or worse in quality than the original manufacturer parts.
Because the insurance industry is regulated at the state level, the decision to use or not to use aftermarket parts is determined state-by-state. Some states allow insurance companies the use of aftermarket parts without consumers consent, some states require the consumer to be notified that aftermarket parts were used on their vehicle, some states require consumer consent for the use of aftermarket parts, and in a few states the use of aftermarket parts to repair a vehicle is banned.
Since each state has a different view on the use of aftermarket parts, it goes without saying there is no real consensus yet to whether the use of aftermarket parts is beneficial or dangerous. For this reason, many feel consumers should have the right to decide whether aftermarket parts are used to repair their own vehicles.
A large majority of body shops do use aftermarket parts to repair damaged vehicles but some body shops that choose not to use aftermarket parts do so because they feel the parts don't fit properly or are of less quality. Quality is the main disagreement in the use or non-use of aftermarket parts. But, if insurance companies only relied on OEM (original equipment manufacturer) parts, would that raise consumer costs (article continues on page 2)?
