We operate in a complex field; the automotive industry evolves daily with increasing technological advancements it’s more important than ever to ensure the parts that you’re fitting are 100% correct for the car on your ramp.
As a garage owner, mechanic or vehicle owner, you need to know that the parts you’re ordering are correct. The OEM number helps you to ensure that the parts you purchase are the right ones, but other acronyms are banded around, so how do you know what to look for?
Original Equipment Manufacturer, so the OEM number refers to the part number by the used by the vehicle manufacturer. The manufacturer does not produce individual components themselves, instead they outsource this production to specialist manufacturers.
OE stands for Original Equipment. This describes the parts that are produced for the vehicle manufacturers that are still sold independently, or a part that is produced to the standard of the original. For example, TRW may produce the brakes pads for BMW, but if they’re supplied by BMW, the box is marked with BMWs branding, if they’re supplied by an independent parts supplier, they would be supplied without any BMW branding despite the part being technically identical.
IAM refers to Independent After Market. They’re parts that aren’t produced by the original manufacturer, in some cases these can be better or worse quality than the original parts. In some cases, aftermarket components can address common failure points and even make improvements. But in other cases, cheaper ill-fitting components can result in premature failure and more issues than they’re worth.
MPN stands for Manufacturer Part Number, this number is the part number that the vehicle manufacturer uses to identify its parts. They often follow a logical structure to help parts departments quickly identify components for mechanics and customers.
There are several ways to find your OEM number.
ACTRONICS has linked the entire remanufacturing range to OEM numbers, this means that you can easily find the correct part. You can do this by entering the part number at in the top search bar and then you can submit your repair order form.
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