Many high school students experience buying car parts for their car and usually buy the cheapest one to get the job done. These said cheap parts are mainly going to be after-market parts meaning they’re not made by the dealership or not original. But these students don’t realize the downsides or side effects of buying these cheap parts. When you install such parts into your car they need to know some info about these Non-original manufacturers. Like how they make many original parts in their interpretation of the design. Most of them are made and advertised to fit “perfectly” and work. Still, at the same time, these parts are cheaper for a reason as they are made with non-lasting materials and are not built to last at all. Many of these manufactured parts have failed, injuring or even ending people’s lives.

During an interview I conducted asking a SPASH student about his experience in buying after-market parts and if he would buy it he claimed it had worked when he bought an alternator but after 1 month of use he did a check-up on his truck and it was burnt or had failed to cause him to need to spend further to get the correct dealership part for his truck. It’s showing that these after-market dealers are not looking out for your safety they’re just selling their cheap parts to make a quick dollar. An article about how “Customs officers in Philadelphia seize nearly $200K worth of counterfeit auto parts, including airbag covers” said that they had seized counterfeit airbag covers that claimed to be original but weren’t as they were deep fakes would have been bought by someone and could have caused death as they are airbag covers which if not made correctly could cause the airbag not to go off or block it meaning the buyer could be severely harmed in a crash. I interviewed someone who had bought after-market parts not these specific seized ones but another brand of faulty ones and had them break within a month of use and the broken part had caused damage to others around it that hadn’t been broken.

An article describing these parts says “ The use of heavier, better materials, unhampered by CAFE weight restrictions” These after-market parts are made with “better” materials which are not what should be done to a car part as many of them have been specifically designed to be weaker as when you get into a car crash it’s going to reduce the impact and save you buying something higher durability could get you or someone else hurt. Most if not all of these after-market brands are not regulated like the ones made by the dealership meaning there are no restrictions on the material of these after-market parts they could have unregulated and unsafe parts. Aftermarket parts do provide an affordable option for individuals on a tight budget who cannot afford OEM parts, and these parts still serve a purpose for those who cannot afford the higher cost of original parts but the buyer of such parts should know the downsides described and the safety risk they would be taking installing those parts. 

Finally, yes people can and do buy after-market parts but many don’t know the cons and pros that these parts bring. But in the end, if the parts are desperately needed and the money has no room for expenditure, after-market parts are a viable option.