Collison Craft Aftermarket Parts

AFTERMARKET PARTS

Aftermarket parts are parts that are not made by the manufacturer of your vehicle or to the same standards as your vehicle.

The insurance industry will tell you that aftermarket parts are “just as good as original, and you cannot tell the difference”. With few, and I mean very few, exceptions that is an absolute bold faced LIE! In all of the reports and lab tests I have read, as well as my 26 years of personal experience, they don’t even come close to meeting manufacturer specifications, not for fit, not for quality, not for finish, not GM, not Ford, not Chrysler, not Toyota, not Nissan etc. etc. etc. The sheet metal is typically thinner and softer, easier to dent, more prone to cracking. The headlights turn yellow, the tail lights turn pink, and both are easier to chip and crack.

If I had an expensive diamond ring (I don’t) and it was insured, and the diamond fell out, I would not be able to tell the difference if they replaced it with a nicely cut piece of glass or a real diamond, but an expert sure could. The point is that you are not expected to be an “auto body expert”. You may not notice the difference, but an expert certainly can. Even if you don’t personally notice it, you are still getting cheated! I would not recommend these parts on any car unless I was sure it would soon be crashed again. (teenager J).

One of my favorite examples is of a particular typical modern composite front bumper, the aftermarket replacement was made of such cheap plastic that it shattered like glass, providing no protection at all! Even after this aftermarket bumper was featured on national TV, many insurance adjusters still insisted on using it! How is that for INTEGRITY? Another is the multi-BILLION, yes BILLION dollar, class action lawsuit that State Farm lost a few years ago, regarding aftermarket parts. Where umpteen very knowledgeable and educated experts testified that by the use of aftermarket parts, State Farm was in fact defrauding its own clients. The jury agreed.