Original Equipment Replacement parts.... Same or as good as Original???

[Gurthy]

This may be a stupid question... but what does an OE replacement part actually stand for. Is it the exact same part as the one originally installed, or is it an aftermarket part just designed to replace the original part.

I purchased a OE replacement Mass Air Flow Filter because my original was faulty. And now my infiniti dealer won't work on my car, until i replace it with one directly from Nissan that their own techs put in.

Any information would help. Thanks

[slickroger]

OEM (original equipment manufacture) and OES (original equipment supplier) many times are one and the same. OE, of course, is a more generic term that refers to the brand that came as original equipment on the car. Most auto manufacturers assemble cars from purchased components and manufacture only the sheet metal components.

http://www.prostreetonline.com/oem/

pretty much the same unless you were lied to while purchasing

[bmlawless]

And now my infiniti dealer won't work on my car, until i replace it with one directly from Nissan that their own techs put in.

Are you trying to have warranty work done or something? That's the goofiest thing I've heard from a shop.

If they put a new one in and it has the same problem, are they going to put yours back in and not charge you a re-stocking or labor fee? Of course not.

[fueler]

OEM (original equipment manufacture) and OES (original equipment supplier) many times are one and the same. OE, of course, is a more generic term that refers to the brand that came as original equipment on the car. Most auto manufacturers assemble cars from purchased components and manufacture only the sheet metal components.

http://www.prostreetonline.com/oem/

pretty much the same unless you were lied to while purchasing

OE replacement is not the same as OEM

OEM = original, authentic, genuine parts OE Replacement = aftermarket parts, replicas of OEM

I try to stay away from OE Replacement as ive always had problems... the quality is never up to par like Nissan is....

But thats stupid of the dealer to say (unless its warranty work)

[Lars]

But thats stupid of the dealer to say (unless its warranty work)

Depends... If the dealer was working on an intermittent problem, and then Gurthy goes out and buys a MAF on his own and replaces it, then you have disrupted their chain of diagnosis. Typically dealers work through a series of potential fixes for intermittent problems before finding the solution. Honestly, if I were working on a car with an intermittent problem and doing my best to figure out what was wrong and then the owner went out and replaced a potential problem part with a POS aftermarket part, I'd be hacked off too. Mostly because I'd have to start over, or get the car back to where I left off before continuing.

I used to work for a dealer, so that is where my perspective comes from...

[fueler]

You probably worked for a Chevy or other domestic dealer! I can understand using the process of elimination on domestic crap cause its so hard to diagnose. Whenever I take my Chevy to the local dealer, it usually takes a week or two for them just to diagnose!! But our Nissans and Infinitis are SO EASY there should be no question as to diagnosing! If its not warranty work, it sounds to me like they are trying to make a quick $ on you. You will find that the dealer wants $400+ for MAF sensor and they make easy scrilla on that one.\

[Buzzman]

Are you trying to have warranty work done or something? That's the goofiest thing I've heard from a shop.

If they put a new one in and it has the same problem, are they going to put yours back in and not charge you a re-stocking or labor fee? Of course not.

If it's his 01 QX4 that he's talking about, then I can't see it being under warranty.As for the dealer attitude, I'd find another dealer, pronto. I would think the dealer would welcome the opportunity to work on the truck, even if it's just to prove that it was the aftermarket part that is causing the problem. To threaten him like that is just plain stupid.I had a similar experience a few years back at a Honda dealership when I was shopping around for a used car for my son. They literally threatened me to buy the car, or leave. Guess what? I vowed never to own or drive a Honda as long as I live. So far so good.

[Lars]

You probably worked for a Chevy or other domestic dealer! I can understand using the process of elimination on domestic crap cause its so hard to diagnose. Whenever I take my Chevy to the local dealer, it usually takes a week or two for them just to diagnose!! But our Nissans and Infinitis are SO EASY there should be no question as to diagnosing! If its not warranty work, it sounds to me like they are trying to make a quick $ on you. You will find that the dealer wants $400+ for MAF sensor and they make easy scrilla on that one.\

Nope worked for the MBZ dealer in Newport Beach. My dad was the Dyno Tech/FI specialist I worked as his asst for a few years. He specialized in probs nobody else could fix. When the factory tech had a problem car they couldn't figure out they brought it to him.

Back to the OP, my response was given a BIG "if" And if they are doing work you are paying for... then F-em go somewhere else.

[SnowSurfLax]

He lives in Marin County, they're probably just assuming he's got the scratch to blow on it. Tell the dealer to suck eggs and work on it. It may not be the same quality, but they can't demand you fix something that shouldn't need fixing.

[timmack]

lol im far from a cali expert but im from one of the richest counties in usa, not trying to brag but just saying that i was out that way last month and marin county made me feel like slum so yea i gotta agree with snowsurflax, lol. that place was crazy. dealerships are bad enough and if you put that behind them, yea some are gonna act like that. get a 2nd opinion from someone who doesnt wipe their butt with $50 bills and youll save alot of money.

[SnowSurfLax]

Yeah, I grew up there as a kid. That place is wicked crazy. My wife called it "a postcard" when I took her up there when we visited her old college stomping grounds a year ago.

Dealers there definitely will screw you, not out of maliciousness, but just because they're charging what the other chumps will pay without blinking an eye.

[Gurthy]

I ended up taking the car to my mechanic (not the dealer obviously). after looking over the car for an hour (and testing the MAF), they decided the MAF was perfectly fine... and the problem was the catalytic converter. Makes sense the dealer wouldn't confirm it was the cat convert b4 because this part was STILL UNDER WARRANTY!!! That jerk is gonna hear it from me monday. Luckily i'm mving out of Marin tuesday, and moving up to portland oregon. I'll get the work done up there.

Conclusion: Never trust a dealer, especially if he's from MARIN COUNTY!!!

Thanks again everyone for all your advice.