Trucks are arguably the backbones of the modern and industrialized world. By carrying construction supplies, heavy equipment, and other kidneys of heavy cargo over long distances, modern cities and economies are able to flourish. Because of this, trucks are always subject to a lot of abuse. They carry tons upon tons of cargo across often less than ideal road situations.
As a result, truck parts break all the time. Automatic transmissions fail, brake calipers go bad, and headlights get busted or worse, stolen. As a result, the demand for parts is always high, wherever you are in the world. While many well-meaning, albeit inexperienced owners and drivers will make a beeline for original branded parts, it is not uncommon to come across seasoned drivers and owners who swear by aftermarket parts that are often cheaper, but are equal, if not higher, in quality.
Here are three reasons why more and more drivers and owners prefer to buy aftermarket parts for their trusty haulers.
1. Matured Market Knowledge
To ensure compatibility, many first time owners are leery of trying aftermarket parts for fear of quality-related problems that have been associated with them. However, as time goes by, people get wiser and come to understand that truck manufacturers, much like the rest of the auto industry, often rely on original equipment manufacturers (OEM) to produce parts such as disc brakes, spark plugs, clutch servos, and many more.
These OEMs sometimes produce parts that are compatible with several truck brands, allowing for intercompatibility with no modifications. However, most of the time, OEMs work directly with truck brands to produce parts specific to their own models but will sell them for a fraction of the price. Either way, as owners and drivers spend more time within the industry, they begin to understand that they can source truck parts directly from the OEMs themselves instead of buying the often more expensive branded counterparts.
While these parts are indeed technically “aftermarket”, they are still the exact original parts made by the manufacturers, to begin with, but are cheaper because they do not bear the seal of the truck brands.
2. Budget Concerns
To the uninitiated, going for original and brand new parts seems like a no-brainer, especially if you’ll be using something to haul tons of cargo for years. However, with the tightening economy, truck drivers and owners are always looking to save much-needed resources wherever they can. That being said, it is much easier today to look for high-quality aftermarket parts than it was a few years ago.
3. Improving Standards of Quality
Vehicle safety standards are constantly changing, but trucks remain in use for up to decades at the time. Aftermarket parts are often the only way to keep up with government regulations for trucks that have already been active before the necessary technology was invented.
OEMs are aware of this and will design parts to seamlessly work with older trucks without extensive modification.
Conclusion
The aftermarket does not have to mean low-quality. To ensure that the parts you’re using will serve you well for years to come, make sure to buy from OEMs and other reputable vendors with a good track record.
BuyAfterMarketParts.com is a construction equipment supplier with many years of experience in supporting customers around the world. We stock parts for several leading truck brands, including Hyundai, Volvo, Caterpillar, to name a few. Contact us today to know more.