When it comes to car parts, short-term economic benefits should always follow after safety and long-term savings. But many people are still easily drawn to cheap knockoff parts that could jeopardize their safety and of those of their passengers. Sure, genuine car parts may cost more than knockoffs, but they are guaranteed by your car manufacturer that important components are fitted to do the job perfectly.
Here are four and easy-to-remember reasons why buying brand-exclusive parts for your car can benefit greatly than other alternatives:
Guaranteed Quality
Genuine car parts are specifically designed for car manufacturers' products. Even if they’re made by other manufacturers, they are made under the strict guidelines of the car brand that commissioned its production. So it’s not surprising that they come with a box that has the brand's logo on it.
The guidelines and standards specified by the car maker guarantee that the car parts that come out and installed into their products are of the optimum design. That is why genuine Mercedes parts cannot be outperformed by other parts (aftersales parts) not following their strict design and standards. This is because most of these aftersales items are made for multiple car models - like one-size-fits-all. In other words, genuine car parts are optimized for your car, thus only it can deliver the best performance for whatever purpose it is required.
Safety
This is a critical point to consider when you’re buying replacement parts. The vehicles are designed for safety and this is why there are regulating bodies that test cars to ensure that they follow those regulations for the safety of the driver and passengers. Genuine parts were already tested and its design and material have passed safety protocols, while knockoff parts are rarely tested by these governing bodies.
There is also the question of the compatibility of non-genuine parts, as mentioned above, these parts are not designed specifically for a certain car. So there is some doubt whether if fitted into your car, that it would work well in tandem with other components in the vehicle.
Warranty
When you buy a car from a dealership, there is usually an accompanying warranty for when cars break down and are in need of repairs. However, when you place non-genuine parts into your car as replacements, you’ll typically void the warranty. Basically, the car that you have now is not as what was bought or what was delivered by the manufacturer, so it frees the manufacturer of any responsibility should the car be in need of repairs or replacements.
Saves Time and Money
Genuine parts are guaranteed to be durable and can withstand regular use for over a certain period of time. It is because they are made to specifications that the carmakers gave to their part manufacturers to ensure quality and performance. So if you buy cheap knockoffs, you can expect that they are not made under those same guidelines and its usability tends to be shorter than that of an original part. Consequently, that would translate to frequent downtime and visits to your service center, which is a real waste of time and money.
There’ll always come a time when your car would need some replacement parts, it’s inevitable, so when thinking about where to source your replacement part, make sure you consider the items above for your car. Because in cars, just like in other things, not everything that looks identical is the same thing.