Why to Use OEM Parts – And Why Not to
All industry owners try their level best to maximize their machines’ uptime and minimize their total cost of ownership (TCO). This specially holds true for the heavy industries that relies on commercial vehicles, heavy equipment and complex pieces of capital equipment. With these two main objectives in mind, what will you prefer to opt as an industry owner when it comes to repair or maintenance of machines? Will you order the parts made by the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) or will you prefer the aftermarket parts at the cheaper rates?
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This is not going to be a light decision, as it influences your TCO directly. For instance, if you plan to order motorbike parts honda bike parts, etc. for your factory workers’ bikes, what will you like to go for? Obviously and quite logically, you will like to use the economical route in order to avail the maximum with the minimum. But remember my dear! This is not the case always. There are certain reasons behind when to use what. Sometimes going with OEM parts is preferable to the otherwise whereas aftermarket ATV parts may also be the first choice at some other times. We have worked out these reasons to facilitate you to make your decision as per your requirement.
Reasons to use OEM parts
Followings are the major reasons behind why you should always prefer OEM parts.
Quality
Obviously, you always want your replacement part to work trustfully and fit flawlessly just like all season motorcycle jackets, etc. This is because you cannot afford to be dealing with the trouble of adjusting, tuning or replacing the parts time and again. Only OEM parts can meet these targets because the original manufacturing company does not compromise on quality. There are certain categories where you are strongly recommended to use OEM parts only. These are:
- All engine parts
- All gaskets, seals and bearings
- Functional parts like pumps, servos, cables, etc.
- Most body parts
- Most electrical parts
OEM parts always keep the original quality of the machine intact, helping to preserve the resale value of your asset at a fairly high level. Non- OEM parts never add anything to the resale value of the machine or vehicle. Rather, they take away much of it due to certain elements.
Warranty Coverage and Support
All big companies facilitate their customers or clients with certain warranty coverage for their products. The installation of non-OEM parts poses a threat to this facility and their users have to bother afterwards. Moreover, sometimes only OEM parts can support the pre-existing things up to the mark. Otherwise, the equipment may lose its overall functionality if parts from some third party manufacturers are used.
OEM parts themselves offer a much better guarantee for the proper running of your machine. For example, if your hydraulic system collapses because of some tampering with the original fluid that fails to match with the manufacturer specification, you will be in a fix to rebuild it yourself rather than filing a warranty claim. So, going with OEM parts is much better so far as warranty coverage is concerned.
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Overall System Compatibility
Nowadays, modern machines and vehicles are coming equipped with a number of connected sensors and integrated data collectors to monitor and record the operating conditions. A lot of android apps are also there through which these equipments are connected with your smart phone for your facilitation.
All this has made it very much crucial to replace the required parts with the most compatible ones so that the whole system may keep on working smoothly and effectively. The original manufacturers often use proprietary software to control machine to machine communication (M2M) in order to run the whole system co-ordinately. Aftermarket parts manufacturers do not have access to this code that makes everything work together. Non-compatible parts will do more harm than good to the overall system compatibility and, hence, must be avoided as much as possible.
Reliable and Timely Distribution
Large manufacturing companies have been in touch with the market over the years and have successfully developed very strong supply chains and distribution networks. They always make it sure that their products reach even the far-flung markets in the remotest areas of the country.
They always value their customers and try to facilitate them with the reliable and timely distribution of their finished products. Time is money and nobody likes to waste it waiting for the spare parts to become available. Aftermarket parts sometimes do not show up on time because of the poor distribution network and the supply chain on the part of their manufacturers.
Durability
Great international manufacturing companies have been around over the centuries now and know the whole stuff fully well. Out of their vast research and experience, they know it absolutely well as to which metal or alloy is to use where.
They have even developed pet recipes for sheet metal and coatings that show great resistance to corrosion and play their role towards increased safety standards. On the other hand, aftermarket parts manufacturers are not that mature to produce the parts having the same level of durability as that of OEM.
Reasons for not using OEM parts
Exceptions are always there, you know. So is the case with the OEM parts which, in spite of being so unique and perfect, are at times not preferable to the aftermarket parts. The following reasons are responsible for this fact.
1. Same quality at lower price
All aftermarket parts are not always lower in quality. They rather compete with the OEM parts at the equal level in quality but not in price, as they present very low price comparatively. This edge sometimes makes the customers perceive the aftermarket as upgrades over components.
2. Easily serviceable or replaceable parts
Sometimes, you need an easily serviceable or replaceable part with a conspicuously upgraded level; you may conveniently choose an aftermarket part. A few most striking examples are: chain & sprockets, exhausts, handlebars & levers, foot pegs & controls, seats, windshields and tires. Some very reputed and well known manufacturers make these parts that exceed over the originals in standard and performance.
The sum and substance of the whole matter is that only those parts are suitable which make your bike look the way you want it to.