The Original Equipment Suppliers Aftermarket  Association (OESAA), an association dedicated to the promotion of OE brands in the aftermarket, has updated its website and introduced new promotional material to help spread its message.

OESAA is made up of many leading aftermarket brands and aims to highlight the benefits of Original Equipment automotive components for both garages and motorists. Suppliers now in the association include, Banner Batteries, Beru, Bosch, Corteco, Champion, Federal Mogul, Knorr-Bremse, KYB, Mann Filter, NGK/NTK, Remy, Schaeffler, Sogefi, Yuasa, and ZF, with more members expected to join shortly.

Many leading suppliers have joined the group, as they are especially concerned about the false portrayal of some components being sold as "OE quality" to unsuspecting workshops. OESAA say in many cases these are inferior products that have not been tested to the vehicle manufacturers exacting quality standards and are not produced from comparable materials.

Two new adverts from the association highlight the issue. The first sees leading automotive aftermarket expert and trainer Frank Massey saying why he always insists on fitting parts from Original Equipment suppliers. This he says, is because he knows that they are designed specifically for the vehicle and made with the best materials. He points out this is the only way he is guaranteed to protect his reputation when it comes to components.

The second advert shows a fake Rolex watch and questions whether many products are as they first seem in the automotive aftermarket. It makes the point that vehicle manufacturers only fit parts from suppliers that they can trust to deliver the highest possible quality standards, time and time again. It goes on to say the only way to give customers the same quality and reliability that was intended by the vehicle manufacturer, is to insist on using parts from OE suppliers.

More activity is planned in the coming weeks and OESAA will also be at the forthcoming Mechanex event at Donington Park on September 10th and 11th.  For more information visit: www.oe-suppliers.org