Which Parts Does Your Policy Pay For?

Your car goes to the body shop and someone has to decide what goes on it. Original manufacturer parts, aftermarket equivalents, or used parts from another vehicle. Your policy has a position on this, and most people meet it for the first time mid-repair.

The three categories

• OEM — original equipment manufacturer. Made by or for the vehicle's maker, sold through their network.
• Aftermarket — made by a third party to fit the same application. Quality genuinely varies, from certified parts that fit well to parts that do not.
• LKQ or recycled — "like kind and quality," meaning a used original part from another vehicle of the same type.

What your policy typically says

Most personal auto policies allow the insurer to specify parts of like kind and quality rather than requiring original parts, particularly on older vehicles. The exact language is in the policy, and it is one of the more consequential paragraphs in it.

Some carriers offer an OEM parts endorsement that requires original parts on a covered repair, usually with vehicle-age conditions. If that matters to you, ask before you need it — it is not something that can be added during a claim.

Where the distinction genuinely matters

Not everywhere. A recycled door skin on an eight-year-old commuter is a sensible repair and arguing about it is not a good use of anyone's time.

Where it does matter:

• Structural and safety components. Crash structures, airbag components and anything with a defined behaviour in an impact.
• Parts carrying sensors. Modern bumpers and windshields host radar and camera systems. Fitment affects calibration, and calibration affects whether a safety system works.
• Newer vehicles, where a non-original part can affect resale and shows up in the repair record.
• Leased vehicles, where the lease agreement may have its own requirements about repair standards.

What you can actually do

1. Ask for the estimate line by line and see which parts are specified as what. It is written on the sheet.
2. Ask the shop directly whether they are comfortable with the specified parts on that repair, particularly on structural or sensor-carrying components.
3. Ask whether you may pay the difference for original parts. This is often possible and is a reasonable middle path.
4. Confirm who is responsible for calibrating driver-assistance systems afterwards, and that it appears on the repair order.

Choosing the shop

You generally choose who repairs your vehicle. An insurer may recommend a network shop, often with a workmanship guarantee attached, and those shops are frequently very good. It is a recommendation to weigh rather than an instruction — ask what the guarantee covers and decide from there.

Want to know how your policy words the parts clause? Send it over.