If you’re a classic car owner, you know how frustrating it can sometimes be to search for replacement parts. While OEM parts are usually the most reliable, they usually cost more. It is also possible that the manufacturer no longer distributes the part altogether. At this time, you have to turn to the aftermarket where sometimes the quality is questionable.
As it understands the situation and wants to support its older models in a world where consumers keep their vehicles much longer, Stellantis associates with bproauto to create a catalog of more affordable parts than what it already offers with Mopar.
All North American dealerships
On its website, bproauto mentions that it supports Stellantis models for North America, namely Chrysler, Dodge, Fiat, Jeep and Ram models. The supplier even mentions that it will eventually be possible to order these parts through one of the manufacturer’s dealerships.
At the time of this writing, the service only offers basic parts, such as wipers or filters, but it plans to eventually expand its catalog to support older models with many more choices. All parts come with a 2 year warranty.
And the quality?
It is obviously still too early to know the level of quality of these parts. After all, if they sell for less, they must not be as well built as the manufacturer’s. We will have to wait for consumers to install them on their vehicles to know for sure.
At least it’s not parts from dodgy suppliers bought at a discount on a popular platform like Amazon or eBay, but rather a manufacturer-backed service. Thus, it is quite reasonable to assume that a certain standard of quality has been put in place by both parties.
Conclusion
Being the owner of old models myself, I find this idea absolutely brilliant. Too often, I’ve hit a wall trying to find original parts for my cars, only to buy them on the second-hand market or in the aftermarket.
With the current price of new vehicles and the fact that consumers are keeping their vehicles much longer than before, we are seeing strong demand in the aftermarket and from mechanics. So it wouldn’t be surprising to see other manufacturers follow in Stellantis’ footsteps and partner with parts suppliers to support older models.
In a world where some manufacturers have to shell out huge sums in connection with their transition to the electrification of transport, such a parts service could prove to be very lucrative.
