Is This Part Original Equipment?

The answer to this question is becoming more obscure each year. We are an authorized distributor of, under contract with, ACDelco and Motorcraft. Our business model, beginning in 1924, is to play our role in the distribution chain for GM and Ford parts divisions. As such we buy millions of dollars in auto parts each month straight from the manufacturers regional warehouses so that we will have them locally available to dealerships in our areas. If you take your vehicle to a GM or Ford service department in our area, and they need a part that is not in stock, they will pick up the phone or order that part online from our parent company... and we will put it in a delivery truck and get it to them ASAP. Even if it comes from their stock, if it is ACDelco or Motorcraft, chances are they got it from us.

Now back to the complicated part of the question. Over the years GM and Ford have slowly changed the process by which they have their parts manufactured. It used to be that most parts were actually made in their own plants. Little by little they have offered the rights to supply these parts to other manufacturers who agree to build the parts to their very strict engineering guidelines, at the cost needed (a bidding process). As such, it is possible that the actual OE part that comes in a Motorcraft or ACDelco box may be marked as a Standard or Four Seasons or any other manufacturer. As an example, I was speaking with a woman just the other day who said the original ECM on her Pontiac Vibe had a Toyota label on it.

In today's interrelated world there are many opportunities to streamline manufacturing processes and save on production costs by using this bidding process. It should not however cause anyone to lose faith in the actual part provided in a manufacturer box. The same stringent engineering guidelines are applied to the process, whether the part is made next door in a warehouse owned by the manufacturer, or overseas on a contract basis. The company making the part understands that if at any point there is a breakdown in the quality standards dictated, they could lose the contract and potentially be out of business. It is different than the old days, but seems to be working better in cost, quality and speed of delivery. We will stand behind these products because we have seen that they are indeed the best available for OE applications.

Autopartstomorrow