The Certified Automotive Parts Association (CAPA) has called on California Commissioner of Insurance Dave Jones to reconsider the complete elimination of certified aftermarket parts from insurer requirements for the use of aftermarket parts.
At a public hearing in Sacramento on August 9, CAPA’s executive director, Jack Gillis, strongly supported the state’s insurance department’s proposed rule recognizing that alternative parts, approved by a legitimate crash replacement part certifying entity, represent a unique and specific part type available to consumers along with OEM brand, non-certified aftermarket and salvage parts.
"The Department of Insurance has chosen to ignore the only established procedure to protect consumers from the overpriced parts that body shops like to use and parts not certified for comparability that they use the majority of time when installing aftermarket parts," said CAPA in a recent statement.
Throughout the past several years, CAPA has strived to demonstrate the consequences of using parts that meet no standards. When California shops use alternative parts, they meet no standards 80 percent of the time, according to the association.
“The department has joined with body shops, not only to maintain the status quo, but to ignore the only effort designed to protect California consumers from both poor quality and overpriced parts,” said Gillis.
In testimony before the department, Gillis expressed concern about requiring insurers to specify parts that are equal to car company service parts, and to warrant that they are of like kind and quality, safety, fit and performance as car company parts without providing a reputable test to make that determination.
“It is simply impossible for a repairer, insurer or consumer to look at a part to determine whether it is the correct material, has the right welds, has adequate corrosion protection, complies with safety standards or has the same structure as the part sold by a car company. Without legitimate, independent certification of comparability, it is virtually impossible for the insurance industry to comply with one of the major tenants of the proposed regulation – requiring insurers to warrant that aftermarket parts are at least equal to the car company brand parts in terms of kind, quality, safety, fit and performance,” said Gillis.
In CAPA’s October 23rd letter to Commissioner Jones, Gillis urged the commissioner to reconsider the department’s position.
“There is a legitimate middle ground on the aftermarket parts issue, and parts certified to meet CAPA’s rigorous standards for comparability offer California consumers protection from both poor quality and overpriced parts,” said Gillis.
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