Garages and motor factors will often be told about the importance of fitting original equipment (OE) parts, but still too few stop and think about the long-term implications of their parts choice.

 

In a world where the perception is often that the customer wants everything done for the lowest possible price, the temptation to cut corners on parts quality is always there. So why fit OE and what are the implications of inferior quality components?  

 

At the recent Mechanex event in Sandown Park, Mark Kidd and Keith Skinner of NTN-SNR, a leading global bearing manufacturer, took time out to explain how original thinking when it comes to component choice, is better for a garage business and with special reference to wheel bearings, why poor quality is a risk just not worth taking.

 

Mark believes that choosing OE components such as bearings supplied by NTN-SNR is critical. He comments, "The bearings we supply are identical to the original part on the car and have been designed and tested for that particular application. It means that there is no compromise when it comes to performance, as the parts are made in the same production facilities as the original and fully tested in the same way.”

 

Keith also points out that OE parts can mean big time savings for a garage. He says, "With a like for like OE replacement part, identifying the correct item is much easier and crucially, because it is identical, you can be sure that it will fit first time every time.”

 

Of course the true test of many products is when things go wrong and Mark gives some interesting information on the likelihood of parts failure on some items. He says, "At our R&D facilities, we frequently run stringent tests on both our own components and competitor products. We were recently running a 150,000km durability test on a low cost competitor bearing and found that it experienced a total failure after just 3.2% of the test.”

 

As Mark points out if this happened in real life driving conditions it would mean the wheel coming off the car with the potential for catastrophe. Of course not all bearing failures will be as dramatic, but even the risk of failure should make garages think twice about quality issues. Keith says, "Inferior quality parts can be dangerous in extreme instances and can also seriously damage a business reputation. Customer satisfaction is key. If a customer has to come back with a problem it not only means you probably won’t get repeat business from them, but they will also tell other people about your poor service. It is really not a risk worth taking.”

 

Mark says that generally the price differential between NTN-SNR bearings and lower quality parts varies. He also points out that the OE part supplied by NTN-SNR will generally offer big savings over dealer supplied parts. He comments, "When you explain to people the quality and safety benefits of original components they are generally happy to pay for the added value.”

 

Keith concludes, "NTN-SNR has a 42% share of the OE bearing market and 98% of the European Car Parc for the aftermarket. Our name is the customer’s guarantee of quality and is proudly stamped on all our products. If you are serious about quality workmanship and customer satisfaction then NTN-SNR original equipment has to be the right choice for you.”