It’s important to understand how your car insurance policy works. This is the only way you can make sure it meets your needs and offers the coverage you need.
You may be wondering what types of parts are used when your car gets repaired. Auto insurance companies may use aftermarket parts unless you’ve paid for coverage that allows them to use OEM (original equipment manufacturer) parts instead. This means that if your car needs repairs due to damage caused by an accident, the body shop may have to use aftermarket parts instead of ones made by the original manufacturer like BMW or Toyota.
Find Out What’s Covered in Your Policy
The best way to find out what parts your insurance policy will use to repair your vehicle is to review your policy paperwork or call your insurance company directly.
If you’re not sure where to find this information, contact the company that insures you and ask them for a copy of the most recent version of your policy. You can also call them and ask if they can give it to you over the phone.
Review Your Insuring Agreement
To find out if your insurance policy will cover Aftermarket or OEM parts, review its “Insuring Agreement” section. Your Insuring Agreement will state what it is that the insurer agrees to cover under the terms of your contract.
Car insurance policy example of OEM coverage
If OEM Parts Are Not Covered
Insurance companies will typically use aftermarket parts unless you’ve paid for OEM coverage, which is a higher tier of coverage that adds additional cost to your policy. If your insurer will not pay for OEM parts, they may offer the option for you to pay the difference between non-OEM and OEM costs.
So, unless you’ve opted for a higher tier of coverage, it’s likely that your insurance company will use aftermarket parts when repairing your vehicle. This is because aftermarket parts are cheaper than OEM parts. Generally speaking, these more affordable replacement pieces are made by third-party manufacturers who aren’t affiliated with the car manufacturer itself. Not to worry – you can still get CAPA-certified parts that meet all applicable federal safety standards and regulations and provided an additional layer of protection. In fact, most insurers require aftermarket parts to be CAPA-certified.
CAPA Certified Parts
Many insurance companies require you use certified parts to repair collision damage. CAPA protects insurance companies and policyholders from inferior replacement parts. CAPA certifies parts for fitment, as well as the composition of all materials. In addition, CAPA checks weld integrity and delivers high-quality of original parts for a fair price.
Insurers or adjusters can also ask the collision shop to attach the CAPA seal tab to the repair order as proof they provided their policyholders with high-quality CAPA-certified parts.
Read more about what a CAPA-certified part is, and how you can tell if your parts are CAPA-certified.
Again, if you want to know what type of parts your insurance company uses, read the policy paperwork and/or call them.
If you’re in an accident, it’s essential to understand how your insurance company will handle the repairs on your vehicle. Depending on how extensive the damage is and whether or not you’re paying for full or partial coverage, there may be a difference between OEM parts and aftermarket parts in terms of cost. You can find out if any changes were made by reviewing your policy paperwork or contacting customer service.
Some states have laws that require insurers to inform drivers about whether they’ll use OEM or aftermarket parts during repairs. In California and Florida, for example, drivers must receive written notice from their insurer stating whether they intend to use new or remanufactured parts during repairs—or risk losing their right to dispute claims later down the line.
We hope this article has helped you learn more about how to tell if your insurance policy uses Aftermarket parts vs OEM parts for repairs. If you have any questions about CAPA-certified aftermarket vs OEM parts – please contact us at (505) 246-2226 / 888-360-1007.