Better Than New?

Not so long ago, the big draw for remanufactured parts was the price. A reman alternator or water pump could be had for half the price of a new one. But lately there are other reasons to investigate remanufactured parts. They’re more available, there are more reputable companies producing them, there’s a greater variety of components and part numbers produced, and the quality increasingly meets or exceeds OE standards.

In modern, sophisticated operations, remanufacturers build the part from the bottom up, disassembling the old core, inspecting each component, re-assembling it with new components as required, and fully testing each piece as it comes off the line. Remans even come with extended warranties that rival OE warranties.

“In many cases, during the process of remanufacturing, they found out why the part failed in the first place and they fix the problem,” says Al Tucker of the Heavy Duty Distributors Council.

It’s a far cry from the early days of remanufacturing. “This kind of thing used to be done in a garage with a desk lamp over a work bench and someone trying to figure out how the piece worked,” Tucker says. “We’ve come a long way from that. In fact, I’d say probably most alternators in the aftermarket now are remans, and if you insist on a new one, you’re looking at paying an exorbitant price.”

These days, many people don’t even know they’re buying remanufactured parts because they come in fancy boxes and look brand new.

There’s a big difference between remanufactured and rebuilt parts, though. “Typically, remanufactured parts are assembled the way they would be in a factory setting,” says Paul Raymond, president of Parts for Trucks. “Each piece is inspected and compared to OE specifications. That’s beyond just replacing a bearing or a seal and calling it rebuilt.”

Raymond says rebuilt parts-components that are not fully disassembled and inspected for damage-could be sufficiently worn so it no longer meets tolerances, or have cracks or corrosion that may not even be perceptible to the eye.

“Sure, you can replace some obvious defect and the part will work, but it’s not likely to give you the same life as a properly remanufactured part,” he says.

Tucker warns buyers about new parts entering the market at reman prices. “Some offshore companies are pricing their new products to compete,” he says. “What materials were used, how was it tested, what kind of warranty does it have? A new part for less the price than remanufactured may sound good on the surface, but if the only thing you see is the price, you could very easily get burned.”