Ford questions safety, repair costs of aftermarket copy parts

[68fastback]

Actually this is pretty interesting...

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FORD QUESTIONS SAFETY, REPAIR COSTS OF AFTERMARKET COPY PARTS

• Ford low-speed crash tests show that aftermarket copy structural parts absorb less crash energy than genuine Ford structural parts and can result in unintended airbag deployments
• Repair estimates show the use of one common aftermarket bumper beam can more than double the repair costs after even a low-speed accident compared to a genuine Ford replacement bumper beam
• Ford tests show that aftermarket copy structural parts are not “like kind and quality” to genuine Ford replacement parts and are not crash tested as part of the entire vehicle safety system

More...

[Joe G]

I swear I saw an article about this earlier this year.

Would be good info to have if your insurance doesn't want to cover OEM parts - but is also good sales material for them.

[68fastback]

yeah ...most insurance companies here just try to encourage cheaper parts by warranting/standing behind their longevity, etc. Maybe that's just in NY tho ...I know that by law in NY they can't tell you what shop to use and I believe they also can't make you use other than OEM parts in NY but not 100% certain ...at least I've never seen an insurance co in NY do that.

Smart of Ford to do the research ...insurance companies are all about statistics and if Ford replacement parts reduce the cost of the repair up front and also reduce costs in the future even more due to less unnecessary airbag deployments, etc, that should get insurance companies' attention pretty quickly.

I've never used anyting except Ford parts in the past but it was mostly because they just fit better, but this ads more reasons.

[The Bone]

Makes me worry about the bumper that the body shop just installed on my car.

[68fastback]

...you can probably tell what they used from the paperwork?

[Alloy Dave]

This is a major issue for our company also, not from a body parts standpoint, but internal engine parts. We call them "will fits", and they are sneaky about how they do it.

They'll give them a name that is very close to the OEM. For example, most of you have heard of Milodon, a reputable pulley supplier for cars from back in the day. Muldoon was a "will fit" knock off. They use boxes that have the same color and a similar logo...just different enough to avoid prosecution. It's a full-time job to keep after those badgers and shut them down one by one.

[68fastback]

...many of CVS' house-brand products mimic the name brands' packaging like that.