Key Takeaways

• Three common part types: OEM (from your manufacturer), aftermarket (third-party), and recycled OEM (used original parts).
• OEM parts are made to your vehicle's exact specifications, which matters most for structural, safety, and ADAS-related components.
• Insurers often specify aftermarket parts to control cost. You can usually request OEM, sometimes by paying the difference. Disclosure rules and options vary by state and policy.
• Parts choice can affect fit and finish, safety performance, resale value, and diminished value.
• For anything that houses or sits near a camera, radar, or sensor, OEM parts plus proper calibration help the safety systems work as designed.
• D&S follows the manufacturer's repair procedures, uses OEM where they require it, and documents it so your insurer sees why.

OEM, Aftermarket, Recycled: What Is the Difference?

There are three common categories of collision parts, and each has a place:

Why Does Parts Choice Matter?

The part on the shelf is not the whole story. Parts choice affects several things at once:

• Fit and finish: OEM parts are made to your car's exact tolerances, so panel gaps and mounting points line up.
• Safety and crash performance: structural parts and pieces tied to airbags are engineered to behave a specific way in a crash.
• ADAS sensors: bumpers, grilles, and mirror housings often carry cameras and radar that must sit exactly right and be recalibrated.
• Resale and diminished value: visible or structural aftermarket parts can lower what the car is worth later.
• Warranty: OEM parts typically carry the manufacturer's parts warranty.

Who Decides Which Parts Are Used?

The repair estimate, and therefore often the insurer, usually specifies the parts. But it is your car, and you have a say. Many states require the insurer or shop to disclose when non-OEM parts are being used, and in many cases you can request OEM parts, sometimes by paying the price difference. On top of that, a manufacturer's repair procedures may require OEM parts for certain repairs, particularly structural and safety work.

When OEM Really Matters, and When Aftermarket Can Be Fine

OEM is strongly indicated for structural components, anything tied to airbags or crash performance, parts that house or sit near ADAS sensors, and newer vehicles where fit and calibration are tight. For non-structural cosmetic pieces on an older vehicle, a quality aftermarket or recycled part can be a reasonable choice. The point is that it is a per-part judgment, made with safety first, not a single blanket rule.

How Parts Choice Connects to Safety Systems and Value

Modern vehicles carry cameras and radar behind bumpers and grilles and in mirror housings. If one of those parts is replaced, it has to sit in exactly the right place and the system has to be recalibrated, which is the work described in our guide to ADAS recalibration. A part that fits poorly can leave a safety system slightly off. Parts choice also follows the car: aftermarket structural repairs can show up on resale and can deepen a vehicle's diminished value, the loss in worth that a car carries simply because it was in an accident.

How D&S Automotive Handles Parts

D&S follows the manufacturer's repair procedures for your specific vehicle. Where those procedures call for OEM parts, D&S writes the estimate for OEM, explains and documents the reason to your insurer, and completes the repair to I-CAR Gold Class standards with PPG-certified refinishing and in-house ADAS calibration. Every repair is backed by a lifetime workmanship warranty, and D&S works with nearly every major insurer as a direct repair facility, so the goal is always to restore the vehicle to its pre-loss condition.

Serving Northeast Ohio since 1977, D&S Automotive works on vehicles at six collision centers across the region: two in Mentor, plus Chardon, Elyria, Kirtland, and North Ridgeville, covering Lake, Geauga, and Lorain counties. Find the location nearest you, with hours and directions, on our locations page, and start a free estimate online or by phone.