OEM vs. Aftermarket Parts for Jaguars

What to do, what to do. Do I buy the cheaper aftermarket part, or do I shell out the extra bucks for the OEM part? What's the difference?

"OEM" means "Original Equipment Manufacturer", which is the company that made the part for the factoy when the car was being built.

"Aftermarket" is a part made by someone else.

Aftermarket parts may or may not be constructed to Jaguar specifications. In general, OEM parts are better than aftermarket parts, but sometimes the tradeoff is acceptable, like when you save $500 for a set of catalytic converters.

I'm not just talking about cats either. Here's another example for you: long ago we found a problem with aftermarket suspension subframe mounts. The rubber doesn't hold up as well as the OEM "Metallastic" mounts, and starts to crack within weeks of installation. For this reason, we stopped carrying them and recommend that people don't use them. You spend less on a set of OEM subframe mounts than for a complete family dinner in a nice restaurant, so why cheap out? These things go a long way toward holding your wheels on!

Aftermarket parts should be used when they are proven to be equal or superior to OEM parts, but not just to save money. "Low bidder" parts are all too often false economy due to inferior workmanship or materials (but I'll sure save $500 on a set of cats!). Unfortunately for me the vendor, these aftermarket parts that I'm trying to warn you against are higher profit items, in contrast to their lower retail cost. There's a reason for this, and it isn't just price-gouging by Jaguar (which also hacks me off). Yep, if I just sold aftermarket parts I could really make out like a bandit. I'd make more money and you'd feel like you really scored a great deal. Until you had to replace your cheepie part again in a year or so. And again.

This presents an interesting dilemma for the parts houses: Do we push OEM parts and make less money, or do we sell aftermarket parts and make more, and re-sell them again later on when they crap out? Hmmmmmmmmm.

That's why, when you go to my website, my prices are higher than the other guys. I tend to carry fewer aftermarket parts because they just don't measure up to the OEM parts. I regularly get emails that say "Your stuff is too expensive so I'm shopping at XXX place." Fine, go somewhere else and live with your decision. I'll sleep just fine.

On the other hand, sometimes the OEM part just plain sucks. Steering rack mounts are a prime example. Decent design, but the rubber rots away in the oily undercar environment. In these cases an aftermarket part can be the ideal choice when it comes time for replacement. However, these cases are rare. Bottom line: everyone is responsible for their own car, and will make their own decisions about parts based on what's important to them. But "caveat emptor" is still the rule of the day.

Being an informed consumer is still your best defense against junk parts and we'll do our level best to give you the information you need

If you have any questions, just email us.

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