What is the difference between genuine, OEM, aftermarket and used parts?

It’s inevitable that at some point you’re going need to replace some of the parts on your JCB, whether something goes wrong or you’re doing regular maintenance to your machinery, you may be faced with a number of different options when choosing where to buy your replacement parts.

With all the jargon in the industry it can be hard to choose the right option, to make sure you’re not paying for something that won’t last or paying too much, we’ve explained what the different sorts of parts are and what you should be watching out for.

What are Genuine Parts?

These are often referred to as OE parts, which stands for Original Equipment - these are the parts that are made by the original manufacturer of your machinery. They may be made by an external supplier, but they will most likely come in a branded box. The main benefit of choosing genuine parts is that you can be reassured that they will fit your machinery as it will be the same that your machinery was first made with. These types of part will often have the manufacturers guarantee, the only downside is that these are often the most expensive option.  

What are Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM)?

These are often referred to as replacement parts, but Original Equipment Manufacturer parts are those that are made by an external company but supply those that make the machinery. These parts will be identical to the original equipment parts but will come in packaging from the company that made it, for example, Bosch often supply their products to original manufacturers.  These are often cheaper than genuine parts and may not affect your warranty. 

What are Aftermarket Parts?

Aftermarket parts are made by a company that isn’t the original equipment manufacturer (OEM), they are intended to be a replacement for an original part, however, they are brand new and are not used parts. Like anything quality will vary depending on the supplier you choose, so it is important to source parts from a reputable manufacturer. The benefits of aftermarket parts are that they are often cheaper than genuine or OEM parts, and if you choose the right supplier then they may even be of better quality.

Read our blog on the benefits of choosing aftermarket JCB parts or our blog answering the most commonly asked questions about aftermarket parts.

What are Used Parts? 

Used parts are parts that have been taken off other cars, often cars that have been scrapped. These are often the cheapest option; however, you may find that you have to replace used parts more often as when you purchase them, you’ll unlikely know how much they’ve been used or how many miles they have covered already.

What are Reconditioned Parts?

Reconditioned parts often refer to parts such as engines and gearboxes, those that have multiple components. When parts with multiple components are stripped down, the parts that are broken are often replaced with used parts and then other cheaper components may be replaced with new ones, for example, like bolts and fasteners. This can be a very cost-effective way of fixing something that would be very expensive to replace.

How we can help? 

At Interpart, we are proud to be the only genuine alternative JCB spare parts supplier. We supply over 7000 different alternative JCB parts, so whatever part you’re looking for we are confident we supply it.

Using country-specific distributors, we are able to sell our non-JCB spare parts to customers all over the world. We handpick our distributors and are proud to be partners with every single one.

We want to make finding the right aftermarket JCB part for you as easy as it can be, which is why we have created our handy parts finder. If you know the part number, click here for a quick quote or search below to add products to your quote list. If you don't know your part number, click here to find your machine serial PIN number then call our JCB spare parts gurus on 0161 998 9911 and they'll guide you through identification and pricing.