California collision repair, OEM and consumer groups recently issued a joint statement to California legislators expressing opposition to any legislation that considers non-OEM crash parts as the functional equivalent of OEM parts. The California/Nevada/Arizona Automotive Wholesalers Association (CAWA) has called the statement a "new and bolder attack" on the automotive aftermarket.
The California Autobody Association (CAA), Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers (AAM), California New Car Dealers Association and the Consumer Attorneys of California issued the statement warning against the use of non-OEM crash parts. The letter alleges that aftermarket parts manufacturers and the insurance industry are manipulating the law in favor of non-OEM parts, which the letter refers to as "inferior" and "imitation" parts.
"Existing law requires insurers that compel consumers to accept non-OEM parts when vehicles are repaired to inform consumers that ‘imitation’ parts will be used and to warrant the ‘imitation’ parts are ‘of like kind, quality, safety, fit and performance’ as OEM parts," the associations’ letter states. "For years, the insurance industry and the off-shore aftermarket parts industry have tried to weaken the law so they may compel unsuspecting consumers to accept inferior non-OEM parts."
In a bulletin to its members, CAWA said this letter is damaging not only to makers of aftermarket crash parts, but to the aftermarket parts industry as a whole.
"Notice the disparaging remarks about replacement parts, and recall that a legislator does not distinguish, in their minds, between crash or hard parts as manufactured and distributed by the aftermarket," CAWA’s bulletin notes.
CAWA says it will continue to promote the "quality" and "competitive advantage" of the aftermarket parts supplied by its members.
"This new and bolder attack by the car companies and their new car dealers will not go unnoticed and will be challenged with the resources available to us," CAWA says.
More information:
California Autobody Association
