In a letter to the Nebraska State Legislature, The Auto Care Association expressed its opposition to a bill (LB782) that would restrict the use of aftermarket parts when OEM repair procedures are mandated. The bill includes restricting the use of aftermarket, recycled, remanufactured and refurbished parts and encourages the use of newly manufactured OEM parts.

“If LB 782 were passed, consumers would be obligated to use newly manufactured OEM parts to repair their vehicles and would lose the choice to use recycled OEM and/or aftermarket replacement parts. This lack of choice will reduce competition and cause consumers to pay more for vehicle repairs,” the Auto Care Association said in its letter. “Not only would this legislation create higher priced repair costs for consumers but would threaten an industry that generates over $300 billion in annual sales and employs 4.6 million people across the country while contributing 2% to GDP.”

In the letter, the association makes a case for aftermarket parts saying since aftermarket companies can observe the OE part in use, they are often able to correct problems with the component that were discovered after the vehicle was on the road. In addition, the association said there is no research indicating OE parts are superior and that many of these parts are produced by the same company that manufactures the OE part but may come in a different box.

The Auto Care Association is asking legislators to vote no on LB 782, “as the unintended consequences for consumers and the negative impact to Nebraska businesses would do more harm than good,” the letter said.