Beware Of Aftermarket Claims

By Roger Brereton, Pailton Engineering

Data from the American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI) annual report, An Analysis of the Operational Costs of Trucking, states the average cost of operating each road freight vehicle in the United States is $1.69 per mile. Factoring in fuel, insurance, wages and maintenance, the report gives a figure on the total cost of ownership. Here, Roger Brereton, Head of Sales at Pailton Engineering, explains why choosing original equipment parts for heavy good vehicles (HGVs) could reduce this figure significantly.

ATRI’s report explains that repair and maintenance costs for road freight vehicles have increased by more than 60 per cent between 2008 and 2017. This is widely attributed to growing technological sophistication in trucks and the increase of luxury add-ons.

The report also highlights the trend between how intensively vehicles are driven and the effect this has on hardware. Intensively driven vehicles often have higher repair and maintenance costs due to greater wear and tear; no surprises there, right? However, this does reinforce the importance of choosing parts that can endure a high number of miles.

Ultimately, if you buy cheap, you buy twice.  When steering system parts in trucks, buses or other large vehicles need replacing, engineers must decide whether to source the original equipment (OE) part from the vehicle manufacturer, or a similar aftermarket alternative. While the latter may have a tempting lower price tag, poorer quality versions do run the risk of breaking down sooner than expected.

Because third party parts are not an exact match, it is difficult to ensure the same levels of functionality. For instance, the part will not have endured the same rigorous testing as an OE part and therefore cannot guarantee the same level of performance. Similarly, the raw material used to produce the aftermarket version, won’t be the same premium quality as OE-standard parts. Again, reducing its efficiency.

Should an aftermarket part break down, this failure could take a vehicle off the road for weeks at a time — adding to overall costs and necessitating the purchase of yet another replacement.

Misleading straplines are part of the problem. Aftermarket parts are often labelled with ‘matched quality’. However, there aren’t any defined regulations on what this claim actually means.   ‘Matched quality’ doesn’t mean the part is the same as an OE part, or that it is OE approved. The part may also look very different to the original, as some aftermarket suppliers create one part for multiple applications. This method resulting in a very broad-spectrum of applications, with no real engineering expertise for the application at hand. An OE part on the other hand, is made for a specific vehicle.

To keep cost per mile low for any HGV, it’s important to keep part replacement intervals as long as possible. Engineers that choose OE parts won’t be faced with the headache of recurrent replacements or adjustments. For more information on Pailton Engineering’s steering system parts, visit pailton.com.

For further information contact: Roger Brereton

Pailton Engineering Ltd, Phoenix House, Holbrook Lane, Coventry, CV6 4AD
Telephone: +44 (0)2476 680445

www: http://pailton.com/

e-mail: Rbrereton@pailton.com

Press enquiries: Laura England or Carla Mateus – Stone Junction Ltd

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e-mail: laura@stonejunction.co.uk or carla@stonejunction.co.uk    
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About Pailton Engineering: Pailton Engineering Ltd design, test and deliver world class steering systems, using state of the art CAD (Solid Works), purpose designed and built test facilities, and state of the art manufacturing capability.