Not all insurance companies offer a policy that guarantees replacement parts are OEM. For example, State Farm’s standard policy language states that that you agree to having your car fixed with OEM, or OEM like replacement parts. When replacement parts are an option, I can tell you from personal experience of working in a body shop, that’s what you are going to get. Replacement parts mean higher markup for the body shop and lower cost for the insurance company. That’s likely fine for most people but it can be a big deal for an enthusiast. Since OEM parts are created by the vehicle manufacturer, they fit as intended and usually are under warranty. Replacement parts are cheaper, they usually fit just fine but occasionally the alignment or quality is off or materials used are subpar. If it is important to you to have only OEM parts, call your insurance company and see if they will accommodate an amendment to your policy or look for an insurer that will. This could be particularly concerning if your car is high value or potentially collectible.
Additionally, insurers will default to restoring the vehicle back to factory condition after loss so if you have modified the look of the car with different parts, make sure you keep photos and receipts to show the claims adjuster what was truly lost in the incident.
While in this blog post we cannot tell you for sure whether your policy will guarantee OEM parts, we can help you review your policy to see if it does. And if it doesn’t, we can help you with a policy that will.
Shift Brokers Can Help You Navigate
Shift Brokers is car insurance for car enthusiasts. We can help you not only navigate insurance rules and policies. And because we are car enthusiasts and specialize in policies for car enthusiasts, we can help you navigate the unique needs and situations only car enthusiasts find themselves in. The best part is, because we are brokers, we represent you, not the insurance companies.
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