ADVICE
Take care: not all vehicle parts are created equal
While not every nonmanufacturer branded part is inferior, it is better to be safe than sorry, says General Motors
We’re all looking at ways to stretch the budget, but is your vehicle’s maintenance a good place to start? General Motors SA (GMSA) says no. Next to your home, your car is probably your biggest asset. Yet when finances are tight, it’s often the car that gets short-changed, with knock-off replacement parts and a cheap and cheerful service. While it may be tempting to skimp on these expenses, GMSA insists that such budgeting is "penny wise but pound foolish" and could cost you heavily in the long run. When counted down to the last screw, your car is made up of about 30,000 individual pieces. Intensive research, engineering development and rigorous testing has gone into each part — and it is only through integration and validation testing that the bits finally come together to create a robust vehicle. "Stick in an outsider part, and you jeopardise the integration and functionality of the whole vehicle," explains Llewellyn van Antwerpen, GMSA senior manager, aftersales. "Non-OEM [origina...
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