GM replacement parts vs non-GM parts

mikea57 · August 29, 2014

Several weeks ago I my son had a wreck in my truck. It's not a huge deal but the right front headlight and fender, the bumper, the grill and the surround where the fog lights are needs to be replaced. I asked for some recommendations for a reputable local body shop and I got some responses and I also got a friend who recently had some body work done (his daughter who is my son's friends also had a minor accident...) and he suggested a shop that I went to. The guy looked at my truck, looked at the insurance quote and said, "Hmmm, only one GM part listed on here." The one GM part? The tow hook...

It hadn't really struck me when I looked at the quote, but it got me to thinking; Does it matter? I mean, I understand that the non-brand parts are most likely to be less expensive, but are they inferior? What's the likelihood that they would even come from the same plant but some are stamped with a GM on them and some aren't? Should I be concerned about this? Will this affect the resale value of the truck (i.e., can you tell that they aren't GM parts on it?)

As you can probably tell, I'm a newbie at the body shop game. Haven't had a need for one in oh, let's say, way before my son got old enough to drive...

Thanks guys,

Mike

newdude · August 29, 2014

Aftermarket may take finessing to fit as good as OEM does, and most likely is sourced from some other supplier, not GM.

Duelin · August 29, 2014

To start off with lets find out what the truck is. Then we can give a more accurate answer.

mikea57 · August 29, 2014

See signature...

2017SierraSLT · August 29, 2014

I'd rather have good, used OEM parts installed, than brand new aftermarkets. With body panels, they generally don't fit as well, or have the same corrosion protection. In almost all instances, I want OEM.

02suburbanZ71 · August 29, 2014

ALWAYS GM. I have first hand experience. Just did a 05 2500. Replaced rear bed quarter panel, and tail light. None of them lined up like they should. You could tell the difference between the 2 sides. The GM always fits better. 3rd party is made poorly especially body panels.

Duelin · September 1, 2014

See signature...

I seen the signature but I have no way to know if that was what he was referring to. A lot of the members have more than one vehicle in their signature in that case which one would we be referring to? I didn't want to ass u me. Not a good practice.

Cowpie · September 15, 2014

When it comes to body panels, yeah the OEM parts are best, as they stamp their own body parts, except bumpers. When It comes to most everything else in the vehicle, it is made by a third party source, yes, even most of the components in the engine. They are, of course, made to OEM specs, but those same parts can be sold under the third party name or sourced also to a 4th party for retail and wholesale.