Car Certified Replacement Parts Have the Same Quality as OEM Parts... Half of Consumers "Don't Know"

Front bumper tensile and impact strength equal to OEM, priced at 59-65% of OEM
50.3% of 1000 consumers "Don't know"... Perceived as "used, cheap, counterfeit"
Consumer Agency "Need to improve consumer awareness and expand certified alternative parts"

[Asia Economy Reporter Moon Chaeseok] As demand for automotive repair parts increases, certified alternative parts have been found to have quality as good as OEM parts (genuine parts) but at a lower price. However, consumer awareness levels were found to be low.

The Korea Consumer Agency conducted a comparison and evaluation of the performance and quality of alternative parts versus OEM parts for five types of imported car front bumpers and surveyed consumer awareness of alternative parts.

Source=Korea Consumer Agency

All alternative parts showed the same level of tensile strength and impact resistance as OEM parts for front bumpers, but many consumers were unaware of alternative parts and held negative perceptions about them.

Source=Korea Consumer Agency

The price of alternative parts is maintained at about 59-65% of the OEM parts price. The purchase price of the tested alternative parts, imported car front bumpers, was about 59% of the OEM parts price.

Source=Korea Consumer Agency

However, among 1,000 consumers, 50.3% (503 people) answered that they 'did not know' about alternative parts. Only 39.5% (395 people) said they had 'heard of them,' and 10.2% (102 people) said they 'knew' about them.

Source=Korea Consumer Agency

Regarding the image of alternative parts, 64.3% (643 people) responded negatively. The details were 'similar to used recycled parts' 35.7% (357 people), 'low-cost parts' 9.9% (99 people), and 'counterfeit parts' 9.2% (92 people), in that order.

The Consumer Agency reported that when repairing cars, 93.5% (935 people) mainly used OEM parts, while only 6.5% (65 people) used parts other than OEM parts.

Source=Korea Consumer Agency

The response changed after properly informing consumers about alternative parts. When asked about their intention to use alternative parts in the future after receiving information, 49.6% (496 people) said they would 'use them.' The reasons (multiple responses allowed) were 'affordable price' 66.1% (328 people) and 'quality level similar to OEM parts' 50.0% (248 people), among others.

The Consumer Agency requested the Korea Automobile Parts Association, the certification body for alternative parts, to improve consumer perception by changing the name to 'Certified Alternative Parts' or 'Certified Parts,' expand alternative parts certification, and establish consumer-oriented quality and distribution management measures.

The association stated that it will continue to promote ▲improving negative expressions such as 'non-genuine parts' ▲expanding alternative parts certification ▲strengthening promotion and guidance activities to activate the use of alternative parts by automobile repair shops ▲building a comprehensive online platform regarding certified parts types, prices, etc.

The Consumer Agency said, "Test results show that the performance and quality of alternative parts are at the same level as OEM parts while being more affordable, indicating the need to improve consumer awareness and expand alternative parts certification."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.