Aftermarket collision repair parts industry responds to Ford video

The aftermarket collision repair parts industry responded to the Ford Motor Co. crash parts video with its own video highlighting the benefits provided to consumers by a thriving aftermarket industry. If the car companies achieve a monopoly on collision repair parts, consumers will not be any safer and will suffer dire economic consequences, according to the latest video.

The aftermarket video can be viewed here.

It is in response to this Ford video.

As Americans continue to feel the pinch from the struggling economy, slow job growth, declines in home values, and the foreclosure crisis, the economic benefits of aftermarket replacement parts are increasingly important. The aftermarket video says that:

• Aftermarket replacement parts ensure a healthy level of competition in the collision replacement parts industry, preventing large car companies from controlling a monopoly that would drive up parts prices and insurance premiums.
  
• The ability to choose aftermarket collision parts saves consumers up to $1.5 billion a year.
  
• Aftermarket parts are on average 20-50 percent less expensive than equivalent OEM parts.
  
• The existence of competition in the marketplace causes OEM parts to be more readily available at a lower cost than in the absence of competition.
  
• Without an aftermarket for automotive collision parts, the increased costs of crash parts would lead insurance companies to declare more damaged vehicles as "total wrecks," leaving more consumers without a vehicle and upside down on their car loans.
  
• Many aftermarket parts come with lifetime warranties, warranties that are often better than those issued by the car companies.
  
• While car companies would have consumers believe that using aftermarket parts invalidates the original vehicle warranty, this simply isn't the case.
  
• With car companies and dealerships shuttering operations and reorganizing, consumers may experience longer- than-average wait times for OEM parts. This will be compounded if car companies are allowed to secure a monopoly.