Have you been and an automobile accident? Do you need to get your vehicle fixed at a body shop? Here are three terms that it is useful to know, both from the perspective of someone getting a vehicle fixed and from someone with auto insurance coverage.

A Short List of Useful Terms

Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) Parts

These are parts made for your vehicle by the company that made your vehicle. For example, if you drive a Ford and your fender is damaged in an accident, Ford makes fenders for your vehicle. Most body shops will lean toward using only OEM parts (except on very old vehicles). However, OEM parts are also the most expensive replacement parts available. As a result, your auto insurance policy may not cover them if your car is over a certain age or if it has traveled more than a certain number of miles.

These age/mileage restrictions vary from insurance company to insurance company, so you should ask about this issue before you buy a policy. Some insurance companies will no longer pay for OEM parts, if other parts are available, after one year or 12 thousand miles. Remember though that using non-OEM parts helps to keep your insurance premiums lower.

Used Parts

Body shops and insurance companies use several terms for these types. Sometimes you will here the term “like kind and quality (LKQ).” Other companies use the term recycled parts. Used parts are OEM parts that have been scavenged from a used vehicle. For example, the entire front end of a vehicle may have been destroyed in an accident. The vehicle is sent to a salvage yard.

After your accident, you need a right rear quarter panel. The salvage yard removes the quarter panel from the damaged vehicle and the shop attaches it to your vehicle. These parts are less expensive than OEM parts, and are sometimes the only parts available for older vehicles. In the body shop hierarchy, used parts fall below OEM parts, infinitely ahead of aftermarket parts.