OE, OEM or Aftermarket – Why does it matter?

When purchasing a spare part, it is a good idea to consider the part’s final usage purpose before making the final purchase decision. In the short term, the price is of course an important factor, but what is cheap at the time of purchase might not turn out to be the cheapest in the long run.

The abbreviation OE stands for original part. It is exactly the same part as was originally fitted to the car at the factory. The OE parts also have the original logo as a guarantee of their origin. However, an OE part is not necessarily of any better quality than the OEM or aftermarket parts.

OEM refers to the original manufacturer. Some OEM parts are made by the same manufacturer as what the car originally had. The only difference is the lack of the car manufacturer’s logo, which makes the part a bit cheaper.

An aftermarket part on the other hand is made by any company that has purchased the manufacturing rights from the original manufacturer. Such a part can be very useful and fulfill its function well. It is good to bear in mind though that the range is large and there are also products that have had to compromise on the quality of materials or workmanship due to the cheaper price.

The OE part is, of course, easy to buy with confidence. Its suitability for a particular car model is guaranteed and the quality is exactly as the manufacturer has intended. The product also has a warranty. The OEM part is essentially exactly the same part with a more attractive in price. As long as you choose the right part for that particular car, this is a good option. Warranties also work.

In the world of aftermarket parts, the spectrum is huge. The cheaper price makes the products tempting and at best you can get your hands on an even better spare part than the original part. However, if you’re an inexperienced buyer your purchase might end in a disappointment, as there are also plenty of poor quality products on offer. There is also the additional challenge of finding the right part as the offer variety is wide and the markings can be misleading.

BussiPro supplies all the parts listed above. We at BussiPro have a long experience of the options available on the market, so we are happy to help our partners to find the best options available. The OE parts come directly in the original packaging and OEM parts are delivered from the manufacturer’s factory with the manufacturer’s logos. The aftermarket parts are delivered well packaged, but without the above-mentioned logos. All in all we have good experiences with aftermarket manufacturers and when dealing with us you can rest assured that we only focus on those manufacturers whose product quality and delivery reliability we can rely on.