Car Part Types: New Original, Recycled, and Aftermarket. What's the difference?

Your car was involved in an accident and now it's time to have the damages repaired, but you might be wondering, how exactly is my car going to be repaired?  Will my car ​

feel the same? If parts need to be replaced, what type of parts will be used? These are all great questions, and the answers to these questions play a role is how your car will look and feel after it has been repaired. Not all parts are created equal, so we will briefly discuss the differences in the parts that will be used to restore your car back to pre-accident condition.

​Parts vary by their origin, their condition, and their availability at the time of repair. Depending on the specific requirements for the vehicle, various different parts may be used to ensure a safe, complete, and efficient repair. The three types of parts available to repairers are new factory original parts (also known as new OEM parts), recycled (or used) OEM parts, and new non-OEM (or aftermarket) parts.

• New factory original parts (OEM): OEM stands for Original Equipment Manufacturer, and refers to brand new parts that are purchased through dealerships and other select authorized distributors. New OEM parts are, as the name suggests, parts that are designed and manufactured by your vehicle's manufacturer to the original specifications that the car was designed under. These parts are brand new, sourced only from dealers (and a few other distributors), have original part numbers, come with a factory warranty, and match the parts on your vehicle exactly. These are the best possible quality replacement parts you can purchase for your vehicle and are always the first choice of repairers, as their quality, fit and finish are guaranteed.
• Non-new OEM parts (Recycled): Recycled parts are exactly like new-OEM parts, however they are not brand new items. Recycled parts are parts have been saved from vehicles that were declared a total loss by the insurance company. For example, a Toyota Corolla with front-end damage was deemed a total by the insurance company, but the rear end of the vehicle was untouched; the trunk lid, tail lights, rear bumper, rear doors, and so on, are undamaged and in brand new condition. Those parts that can still be used are removed from the vehicle, carefully packaged and stored, and available for use on another Toyota Corolla. Recycled parts are still original parts, made by the original manufacturer of your car, and identical to the parts on your vehicle. The advantages of using recycled parts as opposed to new OEM parts is that they are much more cost effective, look and performs exactly the same as new OEM parts, and are great for the environment: why take the time, energy and resources to make another new part when there is a perfectly good recycled part ready to be used. All recycled parts employed by us are thoroughly inspected for quality, fit and finish before being selected for use for your repair. Remember, these parts are just as original as dealership parts. 
• New non-OEM parts (Aftermarket): Aftermarket parts are parts manufactured by third party parts makers, namely, not the manufacturer of your vehicle. They are essentially copies of your original parts, but are still new. Any part that is not made by the original manufacturer of your car is considered aftermarket. Common aftermarket items include: bolt on parts like bumpers, lights, fenders, radiators, suspension components, stereo equipment, etc. The benefits of using aftermarket parts are that they are typically more cost effective than OEM parts, look and feel the same as OEM parts, and may be the only option for older vehicles for which new OEM parts no longer exist.

Every individual repair requires a unique approach to ensure the vehicle is repaired safely, efficiently, all while taking a zero-compromise standard to work quality. At Victory Auto Body, we elect to use only parts that look, feel, and are of the same quality to the ones that are on your car, and we will not repair a vehicle unless we determine that it will be completely restored to pre-accident condition. Your vehicle will look, feel, and behave the same as you know it.

Cheers, and happy motoring!