OEM vs factory fitted parts

[t_marat]

Is there any difference between OEM parts and factory fitted ones? I mean say lemforder arms that can be bought from an official dealer and the one you can buy from bmaparts?
Asking because one guy tells me that brake pads that Brembo supplies to BMW have a different make up, then the ones sold as OEM. That Brembo cannot sell exactly the same brakes to other retailers (due to copyright). That there are similar differences in other parts as well.

[xspeedy]

I'm not as experienced as others, but I think it depends on the part. But for the most part, the OEM ones from BMA are fine - and much cheaper than what the dealer sells. Many of the parts are exactly the same as what the dealer sells with the exception of a BMW logo and BMW part number stamped on them. You'll be fine with good quality of aftermarket type brake parts - Brembo, ATE...

Just remember that BMW uses many different suppliers, even for something like a brake rotor. You could see many manufacturers as OEM for a single part.

[Bill R.]

Original equiptment manufacturer, doesn't mean exactly the same part as the car make specified... For example even though Bosch makes some of the o2 sensors that bmw uses , the dealer ones are clearly different than the aftermarket ones. The prices reflect that as well.
Goodyear makes the original belts that chevy uses, from my local chevy dealer i can get 3 grades of belt, The original chevy specified goodyear, and for a little less the plain goodyear belt and for even less the cheapo goodyear belt... Only one of those is the belt chevy specified.
On some parts it makes a big difference , on others no difference at all.
Only experience can really tell you which ones work fine.
Another example, akebono makes the original brake pads used on most toyotas, I suspect the akebono ceramics that i use are an even slightly better pad than the oe pad specified by toyota but they are both made by the OEM.

[Ross]

OEM is usually same.
Being an original equipment supplier doesn't always mean you are the only supplier of that item, several vendors may be used. A company that makes ball joints for BMW may not be the OE supplier for tie rods but they are still still an OEM vendor.
Me thinks the brake pad story is BS to justify a high price. My recollection is that the specific brake composition is written on the edge of the pad material, comparing this information ought to get to the truth. SAE standards apply there.

[Bill R.]

b.s. but you can't always go by the edge codes on the pads for real world performance either... Experience turns out to be the best way unfortunately.
Some of the sites like tirerack have turned out to be pretty helpful with the tire reviews from all the customers in that respect.
Here's an interesting brake pad comparo for police cars. Its old but still interesting.. Looks like OEM pad from the manufacturers is a compromise of cost versus performance which is understandable from their viewpointhttp://www.justnet.org/Lists/JUSTNET...8/BRAKEPAD.PDF

OEM is usually same.
Being an original equipment supplier doesn't always mean you are the only supplier of that item, several vendors may be used. A company that makes ball joints for BMW may not be the OE supplier for tie rods but they are still still an OEM vendor.
Me thinks the brake pad story is BS to justify a high price. My recollection is that the specific brake composition is written on the edge of the pad material, comparing this information ought to get to the truth. SAE standards apply there.

[BMWCCA1]

Why anyone would ever considering using BMW brake pads in their car is beyond me. They stop well and have a good spec for fade-resistance, but they're so damn dusty and often noisy because of it that even if the price was the same, I'd never use them. I managed a BMW dealer for over twenty years and I've owned BMWs since 1971. I have NEVER used BMW brake pads as replacements in any of my BMWs.

That being said, in almost all other parts, I find the original BMW part from a BMW dealer to be the best, though I often buy that same or similar part from other suppliers just to save money. Some items are actually cheaper from BMW and many are of better quality than even similar parts from the same supplier/manufacturer. On some items the price difference is just silly. For instance, BMW wanted almost $300 for two rear-wheel brake cylinders for my 1970 1600 Cabriolet. I believe I found them for about $56, made in Germany, elsewhere. That's . On the other hand, rear-hatch struts for my '98 318ti in a much stronger rating than stock were cheaper from BMW than anywhere else. And some parts you can't buy anywhere else but from BMW, even though places like Bav Auto may buy them from a dealer and re-sell them to you. It often pays to check with your dealer first, and always ask for your BMW Club discount, if you're a Club member. That has often cut well-over 50% off some prices as many dealers quote an over-the-counter "retail" parts price that is marked up 20-25% over BMW list, and yet discount the Club rate off true BMW NA MSRP for BMW Club members.

[repenttokyo]

also consider the fact that companies change vendors over time - this is especially true of products like paint. So while your car might have been built with X control arm, it's possible that the next year they changed to a different supplier who made a slightly different part, etc - but it's still 'factory equipment'.

BMWCCA1's point is great about brake pads, the aftermarket is just so much better than dealer for almost every manufacturer.

[t_marat]

OK. Thanks everybody for responses.

[shogun]

this parts guy in Australia made is clear
http://www.bimmerboard.com/forums/posts/594965

[Jehu]

Should I return the Bosch 02 sensors I bought from an on-line aftermarket reseller and get them from my BMW Dealership ? Is this an instance where I will regret saving money?