If you own a BMW chances are you have scoured the internet searching for great deals on BMW parts and accessories. Who can blame you? BMW’s are infamous for their great handling, but with great handling comes the associated wear and tear of the suspension and steering parts (ie BMW control arms and thrust arms). When these parts begin to wear, its not surprising when you get an outrageous quote from a dealership for hundreds, if not several thousands of dollars to replace these steering and suspension parts. I’m just using BMW control arms as an example, but its across the board for any European cars such as Mercedes, Audi, Volvo, and Volkswagen.

You have now made a decision to do your own due diligence and attempt to source the parts outside of a dealership to save you a little bit of money. You will quickly become overwhelmed by the amount of company’s brands and products to choose from and may be confused by the jargon used in the aftermarket and OEM parts industry. Terms such as genuine, aftermarket, OEM, OES, and OEA. I will end all of this confusion right here and right now.

Our purpose here is not to be deceitful. As you move down the chain, the instances of coming across a BMW part that is inferior in quality will increase. Now that you are an educated consumer you can use this information along with checking the warranty policy and credentials of the company to make the best decision along the way.

FCP Groton is one of the leading worldwide automotive parts distributors in the world. Find out more information by visiting FCPGROTON.