Servicing vehicles makes up a significant part of most workshops’ day to day work load. Therefore, it is something you want to get right first time as any reworks are going to cause expense for you and frustration for your client. Any delay in receiving the parts needed will impact on turn around time and in the worst case require the vehicle to be kept overnight or for the client to have to return.
The quality of the work is in your team’s hands so it is important to also make sure that you use reputable parts from a reliable supplier. Whilst there might be a temptation to cut corners and buy from someone’s dodgy cousin down the road or an internet supplier this may well be a false economy.
This is even more important for parts where failure might cause significant damage or safety risk –think timing belts/chains, brake or suspension parts or filters, or where there is significant time involved in the replacement such as clutches.
The top-drawer option is to buy genuine factory parts, especially suitable for newer vehicles and whilst not always the cheapest the Manufacturers are pretty competitive on the everyday replacement parts these days and you are assured of top quality and stock levels.
OEM aftermarket parts – these are parts made by the same suppliers that make parts for the OEM companies and will be brand names you are familiar with such as Bendix, NGK, Ryco, etc – won’t be the exact same specs as factory part (may even be better in some cases) but you are buying the experience and quality control of these large parts manufacturers just as the car companies do, these will also tend to come from the major national and regional parts suppliers giving a second level of assurance, high stock rates and slick delivery systems.
Aftermarket parts – often from less recognised suppliers but also stocked by some of the national chains – can still be great parts (and in fact some are made by the OEM aftermarket companies on behalf of other brands – a bit like the supermarket own brand food products). If they are supplied via a recognised wholesaler you obviously get some backing from them and know that they have experience selling the brand, similarly if you have a trusted local supplier you have used for some time.
Lucky dip – random online, cousins garage etc, may be fine but who knows – often these are look a like products to well known ones (See the article in our July issue around truck clutches) – they are not counterfeit, but on the surface are designed to look like a well-known product – as Forrest says “It’s like a box of chocolates – you don’t know what you are getting!”
Counterfeit – in the past we have seen counterfeits of manufacturer and OEM aftermarket parts – these are a straight knock off down to the branding and packaging – but usually vary significantly from the original product in terms of design, materials and manufacturing standards – best avoided if you don’t want trouble!
Consumables
This covers a vast range of items from cleaning products, oils and lubricants to rags. Best advice is find a reliable supplier who’s products work well for you and stick with them, changing suppliers often introduces a learning curve due to differences in application and performance.
