Thread: What is meant by 'OEM' parts?

Yep they have obviously forgot what OEM stands for, i would be ****ed off also.

We all know what OEM stands for,it is either OEM or it isn’t.

Even wiki could tell the difference. Of course, OEM does not necessarily mean genuine, but it's going to be close. Differences will be minimal.

The term OEM is misused.
I doubt whether many items are made by the original supplier, especially for Series vehicles.
Maybe they are an OEM for another vehicle manufacturer and can then claim anything they make is OEM ??

Is it just the supplier claiming that it's OEM not really understanding what OEM means ?

I like "made to OEM specification" which means it should fit but there is no way it's made to the original spec. The manufacturer wouldn't be aware of the original spec. so it's just made to the same dimensions.

Even 'Genuine Land Rover' what does that mean, they outsource the parts and as vehicles get older and I bet the supplier changes as volume sales drop off. Possibly Britpart in a green box for Series vehicles ?

Unfortunately it's buyer beware.

I try & buy name brands where I can (e.g. brake parts).


Colin

It's frustrating that sellers can't be trusted to supply what they say, makes me more inclined to suck up the dealer cost more often. Had the bearings not been in a blue box I may not have been alert to the switch. No way was I going to install swivel bearings from that crowd 9nor any bearing without a maker's mark on it), it's a big job to get in that far and I don't want them failing in a remote location. The woman I spoke to the other day who thought OEM was a synonym for 'generic' said 'we have a workshop department and they use those parts in our workshop'; I think she saw this as some kind of endorsement whereas I took it as one more confirmation that I need to be doing my own work.

Originally Posted by POD

It's frustrating that sellers can't be trusted to supply what they say, makes me more inclined to suck up the dealer cost more often. Had the bearings not been in a blue box I may not have been alert to the switch. No way was I going to install swivel bearings from that crowd 9nor any bearing without a maker's mark on it), it's a big job to get in that far and I don't want them failing in a remote location. The woman I spoke to the other day who thought OEM was a synonym for 'generic' said 'we have a workshop department and they use those parts in our workshop'; I think she saw this as some kind of endorsement whereas I took it as one more confirmation that I need to be doing my own work.

I have always believed it to mean "Original Equipment Manufacturer (ed)" Still a bit airy fairy though.

Nothing 'airy fairy' about it, it means manufactured by the company that originally made it for the vehicle. The manager of this particular seller tried to tell me that the original manufacturer may not be making those parts any more so they can't necessarily get them so they use substitutes; I told him that if you can't get something you don't advertise it and you don't say you're selling it and you don't charge for it and send some dodgy substitute.
Anyway, I advise people to be wary of sellers offering 'OEM' parts and if you are buying a critical part from an aftermarket supplier, inquire into what you are buying. In this case the actual swivel pins themselves 'looked' identical to the ones I bought from the dealer, but the dealer gave me bearings etched with 'Timken France' whereas the bearings in the blue box had no markings at all. Probably made in South Asia by highly skilled barefooted men using cast-off 1950s British machinery to make things that look like bearings out of material gathered in the streets in wheelbarrows.

Originally Posted by POD

Nothing 'airy fairy' about it, it means manufactured by the company that originally made it for the vehicle.

Yes, it does mean that. However, it doesn't mean that that company hasn't changed, or changed hands, or even country. It doesn't mean the parts are made to the same standards as they were 20 years ago when the car was built.

Sadly, the vendors who took the trouble to source good parts from wherever they were available, like our good mate on here, are disappearing.