PCGCampbell Crash Parts

Using genuine Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) parts for automotive repairs gives customers peace of mind knowing that their Lincoln will remain a Lincoln. Genuine parts are especially important when making collision repairs.

The alternative to OEM collision parts are imitation “crash parts” made by suppliers who at their best come close to the fit-and-finish of OEM parts. At their worst, non-OEM parts are the automotive quality equivalent of the $30 “Rollex.”

Combining the desire for lower cost with consumers’ general lack of knowledge on the issue makes imitation crash parts a formidable foe of the OEMs.

Ford Motor Company’s Customer Service Division challenged PCGCampbell to help educate consumers, collision shop owners and insurance companies that the best way to hold a car’s resale value and avoid future problems at the body shop is to install OEM crash parts.

PCGCampbell began with researching the cost/quality equation. We then communicated to consumers and collision shop owners that, for the longterm benefit of their own wallets, they should insist on OEM crash parts to insurance companies.

Still, PCGCampbell knows that the best time to educate consumers about OEM parts is when they take their car in for service. So PCGCampbell tapped in to Ford’s Roadside Assistance reporting network and immediately contacted consumers involved in non-injury accidents to make the case for OEM crash parts. We then followed-up a few weeks later to record their repair experiences.

Survey results revealed that in a typical year, nearly 70 percent of respondents learned about the differences between Ford Crash Parts and imitation crash parts from the information provided by Ford and PCGCampbell.

Further, about 70 percent of those who were not aware of a difference made the choice to use Ford parts after they learned of the difference. About 90 percent of respondents chose genuine Ford Parts for their repairs, and PCGCampbell determined the Roadside Assistance program has influenced more than $5 million in parts sales each year.