Quality! Everyone says they have it. Some do. Some don’t. Others have to varying degrees. So how, as an aftermarket professional, are you supposed to cut through all the talk and determine what’s genuine quality, versus just words…?

Simple! When it comes to automotive, there’s no better endorsement than a vehicle manufacturer (VM) choosing to fit your product. After all, to be selected in the first place involves a rigorous process - often years of development and close collaboration - to engineer a product that meets every one of the VM's demanding standards. Whether that’s stopping sooner, accelerating quicker or making cleaner, more efficient vehicles that drive better. Being the original equipment manufacturer is the holy grail so to speak, and something which many manufacturers strive for, but ultimately never achieve.

The good news is we have! As a leading manufacturer of OE propulsion technology our diesel, GDi, engine management and ignition parts are fitted as OE to millions of vehicles worldwide. Importantly for you, we supply these very same parts into the aftermarket - the part you receive, is the same part that is fitted by the vehicle manufacturer. We don’t change the spec simply because it’s for a different customer. Or the expectations may be slightly different. On the contrary, we believe what’s right for the vehicle owner when they drive the car off the dealership forecourt, is still right when they come to service it, even if that’s years later.

Equally importantly, we apply these same principles to everything else we do. So whether it’s designed for the assembly line or the garage bay, our processes are just as rigorous. Every part undergoes the same demanding dimension, material, durability and performance tests. No matter what it is, where it’s made, or indeed who it’s for.

Take our brake discs as an example. Unlike some other aftermarket brands, the vanes in our vented discs are constructed exactly as the OE part with the parting line in centre. Whilst this is more complicated and costlier to cast, it provides much better braking balance and resistance to cracking. Which is why we do it too.

Same goes for our brake pads. We use over 130 different friction ingredients to create unique friction formulations for the best possible match of brake pad to vehicle. Again, some other manufacturers use only one or two, resulting in an inevitable compromise in performance.

Of course, all this is meaningless if the part doesn’t deliver when it needs to. To replicate the conditions it will experience on the road, we conduct real world testing on all our products. For example, we test our wishbones on all three axes – side-to-side movement, forward force from acceleration and deceleration and up and down movement - at the same time. And we subject our sensors to extensive thermal, shock and vibration testing. It goes without saying that the Delphi part must perform as well as the OE component, if not better.

These are just a few examples of our all-encompassing approach to achieving the very highest OE quality standards. We could go on. The important point is, that when you buy a Delphi’ part – be it braking, steering, air conditioning, fuel injection, ignition, engine management or even the equipment needed to diagnose and repair them - you get the same guaranteed, long-lasting OE quality. Every single time.