I finally stopped pushing for OE parts on every job after a chat with an older mechanic

Gary over at Midas on 5th Street told me he's been using aftermarket alternators and starters for 12 years with maybe a 3% return rate. He said most customers don't need OEM for a 2006 Camry with 180k miles and that I was costing people money for no real gain. It hit different because he showed me his actual numbers on a napkin right there in the shop. Has anyone else had a similar wake-up call about part brands?

3 comments

3 Comments

miles_burns1mo ago

Did Gary account for the cars that never came back because the aftermarket part failed and the owner just went somewhere else? I see his point about cost on an old Camry, but 3% failure rate is still way higher than what I see with good OEM reman parts from a dealer. A lot of those aftermarket alternators have cheap voltage regulators that fry the battery or mess with the ECU over time. It might not fail right away but it can cause other problems down the road. Plus if that 3% return does happen you are spending extra diagnostic time chasing a part related issue, which costs money too. I get saving people money but I would rather spend a little more up front and know the car is gonna start every time.

blair_taylor321mo ago

Yeah "fry the battery or mess with the ECU" is a real concern I've seen happen too.

jakejones1mo ago

Right, because nothing says "money saved" like replacing a 50 dollar alternator with a 30 dollar one that slowly kills your 200 dollar battery. That 3% return rate is just the ones that actually made it back to the shop, not the ones that died in a Walmart parking lot at 9pm. "Cheap voltage regulator" is just mechanic-speak for "you're gonna be back here next month anyway".