Car parts can be a huge expense for motorists and many garages and members of the public are often replacing genuine parts for non-genuine parts to save a bit of money. This can be a great way to cut the cost of car repairs and maintenance but there are a few thigs to bear in mind.
If your car is still under a warranty, either through a manufacture of a private used car warranty then you may invalidate it but using non genuine parts on your car. You need to check with the company that provides your warranty to see if you would still be covered and always get this in writing.
The other issue with non genuine parts is the quality. Not all, but some non genuine parts are not as well made as the genuine ones and therefore will not last as long. Not only may they fail but they may also cause damage to other components of the vehicle. Usually A cam belt that is designed to last 60,000 miles for example may fail after only 20,000 and if this happens, it normally damages a number of other components at the same time. If the car is only worth a few thousand pounds, this is often enough damage to make it unworthy of the repair costs – writing the car off.