Every month, we hear from one of the Tier 1 sponsors of the Right to Repair campaign. This month, the Tyre, Equipment, Parts Association (TEPA) shares insights to help deal with non-original spare parts.
This focus is important, as a lot of confusion still exists around the term – and, since the new Guidelines for Competition in the South African Automotive Aftermarket impact the replacement of parts, it’s necessary to provide some clarification.
According to the Guidelines, non-original spare parts carry a warranty from the manufacturer and are legitimate and traceable for sale in the aftermarket, but they are not ‘Original Spare Parts’. What’s important to note here is that these parts are often thought of to be unsafe or unreliable, possibly because of their lower price – a perception that is not warranted.
Vishal Premlall, national director of TEPA, explains that a non-original part is simply a part that has been branded as an aftermarket house brand, rather than being branded for a particular OEM and sold through its dealer network. Premlall says that since there is no difference in the quality of these and original parts, it’s a good idea to call them ‘matching quality spare parts’ instead of ‘non-original spare parts’. Since these have a traceable origin, are of matching quality, and carry a warranty of their own, they are clearly in no way inferior to OEM parts. That said, grey, counterfeit, or illegally sourced parts cannot be regarded as the same quality. Such parts should not be allowed in your workshop.