Are dealers obliged to use genuine parts?

billyfieldman, Oct 13, 7:54pm
Let's say during PPI it was discovered that right rear wheel bearing need to be replaced. The dealer agrees to replace it. Is he obliged to use genuine parts or can he use some cheap china knock-offs?

If one year later, the same right rear wheel has bearing problem, is the dealer required to remedy it?

martin11, Oct 13, 8:02pm
Lot of car parts are made in China now anyway so even the original may be made in China .
After 12 months I would suspect something else is causing the bearing to fail , Rear or front wheel drive vehicle ?

kazbanz, Oct 13, 8:37pm
The devil is in the detail. If the BUYER specifically stated in wrighting that the dealer must use genuine factory parts then that's what must be done.
if on the other hand the agreement is that the noise is fixed then any bearing could be used.
Its down to the specific agreement between buyer and seller.

serf407, Oct 13, 8:59pm
Parts even of the same type are made in different factories in China.
Counterfeit parts have made into the supply chain of even big brand names at times.
The approach I have heard of is to buy a bunch of bearings - rotate the bearings for a few hours and use the ones that heat up the least (temp testing with thermocouple etc).

shaun16, Oct 13, 9:17pm
what would you rather the dealer used though? used genuine parts or new knockoff parts. I doubt most are going to use new genuine parts as they may not exist anymore or are way to expensive

franc123, Oct 13, 11:39pm
The dealer is going to use the cheapest method they can to get the car warrantable, the deal sealed, and the money out of your pocket. You could end up with a second hand whole hub fitted with a used knockoff bearing in it lol. Its happened before I can tell you.

gamefisher, Oct 14, 12:23am
Cloned bearing are rife coming from China they can look exactly the same and stamped as coming from major known manufactures but are inferior quality.

billyfieldman, Oct 14, 2:31am
Thanks. So letting the dealer fix the problem is risky.
The car is a FWD.

a.woodrow, Oct 14, 2:34am
Why don't you ask the dealer if he will use genuine, aftermarket or second hand parts. Depending on the answer you could offer to pay the difference to fit a genuine part if it bothers you.

panicky, Oct 14, 2:42am
I sell genuine parts for a dealer. If a vehicle is still in warranty, genuine parts MUST be used, otherwise the warranty will not be honored by the importer if a failure occurs. If the vehicle is out of warranty in general if it is less than 10 years old genuine parts will be used, unless the customer doesn't like the price of them or they are very expensive and then they may be offered an alternative, but will be advised before hand. 10 years or older, anything goes, but we always tell the customer first.

kazbanz, Oct 14, 1:47pm
if it worries you so much then negotiate a price reduction rather than repair and get it fixed yourself

billyfieldman, Oct 14, 5:31pm
Thanks for the suggestions. I'll be negotiating to get it fixed myself.

moggyman, Oct 15, 3:08pm
Dealer parts dept make the most out of selling Genuine parts and most parts dept's operate as a separate entity with the dealership as do the other depts, workshop, paint & panel etc. Parts dept buys at wholesale, adds a margin and 'sells' on to the other Depts.

kazbanz, Feb 7, 10:17am
Moggyman--this is new franchise dealerships you refer to not the backbone of car dealers in NZ which are used non franchise