The Certified Automotive Parts Association (CAPA) reported in a review of its top 100 certifiable parts called for on estimates, only 50 percent of parts were actually CAPA-certified, and only a minority of the parts was available for distribution. Overall, out of the top 100 types of parts called for on estimates more than 15 million parts only 8 percent were available as CAPA certified in the market.
Part certification is not granted upon a manufacturer’s entry to the CAPA program. Instead, parts must be fully tested to verify they meet CAPA standards before they’re certified. According to CAPA, parts manufacturers often make two versions of parts one that’s CAPA-certified, one that isn’t making it important to check for the CAPA seal. The top portion of the parts seal is designed to permanently stay on the part. The lower portion is designed to be removed and placed on the repair order to verify the use of a CAPA part.
“Repairers, part distributors and insurers need to know that regardless of what a seller may say about the part, if it doesn’t have a CAPA seal, it is not CAPA certified,” said Jack Gillis, CAPA executive director.
There are currently more than 7,400 CAPA certified part applications available to the market. Manufacturers and distributors do not offer about 21 percent of CAPA-certified parts. Another 18 percent of parts are offered in amounts of less than 250 units, meaning many distributors won’t be able to supply CAPA-certified parts. Because of this, CAPA recommends verifying CAPA-certified parts were delivered when ordered.
At www.capacertified.org, repairers can enter a unique number found on each CAPA seal to verify the part’s certification. Repairers can also use the CAPA tracker program to record part usage, and shops can be notified if a problem develops that could potentially affect that part.