Replacement parts: what a garage can fit and what you can ask for

Why the category of part is worth a conversation

Two garages can quote very different figures for the same repair and both be quoting honestly, because they are pricing different categories of part. The category also changes what evidence exists afterwards, who you go to if the part fails, and what paperwork you are holding. None of that is decided for you: it is decided at the moment somebody writes the job down, which is usually before you have thought to ask.

What to do

• Ask which category of part is being priced before you compare two figures, because a cheaper quote may simply be a different category rather than a better deal.
• Ask the same question again if the figure changes mid-job, because a substitution is the easiest way for a price to move without anybody discussing it.

The categories, in neutral terms

The Competition Act 1998 (Motor Vehicle Agreements Block Exemption) (No. 2) Order 2023 defines an original part as a component of a motor vehicle which is, or is intended to be, installed in or on a motor vehicle for the purpose of the initial assembly of a motor vehicle, and includes software. Sources: ^[13]

The same Order defines a spare part as a component of a motor vehicle which is, or is intended to be, installed in or on a motor vehicle to replace an original part, and includes software, and defines 'part' as meaning an original part or spare part. Sources: ^[13]

The CMA's guidance on that Order describes original parts as parts manufactured according to the specifications and production standards provided by the supplier of motor vehicles, typically bearing that supplier's trademark, which it calls OEM parts. Sources: ^[14]

The same guidance describes alternative parts as including original parts manufactured and distributed by original equipment suppliers, called OES parts, and other parts matching the quality of the original parts supplied by matching-quality parts manufacturers. Sources: ^[14]

For a part to be considered matching quality, the CMA guidance says it must be of a sufficiently high quality that its use does not endanger the reputation of the supplier of motor vehicles in question, and that the vehicle supplier may bring evidence that a given spare part does not meet that requirement. Sources: ^[14]

“spare part” means a component of a motor vehicle which is, or is intended to be, installed in or on a motor vehicle to replace an original part, and includes software

Of the category labels used on this page, the cited Order supplies the definitions for 'original part' and 'spare part' set out below. The remaining labels are used here as trade descriptions, and different garages, factors and manufacturers may use them differently. This page does not claim that those labels are undefined for every other purpose in UK law.

What to do

• Treat these as descriptions of supply route and specification, not as a ranking; which is suitable depends on the component, the age and value of the vehicle, how long you intend to keep it, and what is available at all.
• Some components are effectively only available one way — safety-critical or electronically coded items may have to be new, and an obsolete part for an older vehicle may only exist secondhand — so ask what the realistic options actually are for your job rather than assuming all five exist.
• For an exchange unit, ask whether a surcharge is included in the figure you have been given and what happens to it, because that is a common source of surprise on the final invoice.
• Where a part needs coding, programming or calibration to the vehicle, ask whether that is included in the price and whether the category of part chosen affects it.

Checklist

• Manufacturer-branded part supplied through a franchised dealer: carries the vehicle maker's branding and part number, and is bought through that maker's own network.
• Original equipment supplier part: made by a company that also produces parts for the vehicle maker's assembly lines, sold in that company's own packaging rather than the maker's.
• Matching-quality aftermarket part: made by an independent manufacturer to a specification intended to match the original, and available through the general parts trade.
• Remanufactured or exchange unit: a used component that has been dismantled, cleaned, had specified items replaced and been tested to a defined output standard, usually supplied against surrender of your old unit.
• Used or salvage part: a component removed from another vehicle and resold in the condition it was recovered in, sometimes with a limited return period from the dismantler.

What to fix in writing before the work starts

Section 11 of the Consumer Rights Act 2015 provides that information the trader gives about the goods which is information about the main characteristics of the goods, within the meaning of the Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013, is to be treated as included as a term of the contract. Sources: ^[5]

Section 11 also provides that a change to any of that information, made before entering into the contract or later, is not effective unless expressly agreed between the consumer and the trader. Sources: ^[5]

Section 12 gives similar treatment to other pre-contract information required by regulations 9, 10 or 13 of the 2013 Regulations that is not information about the main characteristics of the goods, and section 19 provides that where the trader is in breach of a term that section 12 requires to be treated as included, the consumer has the right to recover the costs incurred as a result of the breach, up to the amount of the price paid or the value of other consideration given for the goods. Sources: ^{[6] [8]}

The Motor Industry Code of Practice for Service and Repair, which The Motor Ombudsman publishes and which is approved by the Chartered Trading Standards Institute, commits accredited businesses to agree with the customer the parts to be used, prior to starting work, including whether parts will be genuine or non-genuine. Sources: ^[15]

That code also commits accredited businesses to inform the customer where parts are provided with a manufacturer's warranty and the terms of that warranty, and states that any guarantees or warranties provided with parts or labour are in addition to the customer's existing consumer rights. Sources: ^[15]

A change to any of that information, made before entering into the contract or later, is not effective unless expressly agreed between the consumer and the trader.

There is nothing awkward about asking. A garage that has already decided what it is fitting can answer in one sentence, and the answer is worth having on the paperwork rather than in your memory.

What to do

• Ask for the category in writing, even if only by text or email confirming what you were told at the counter.
• If the garage cannot say yet because availability is uncertain, ask it to write down that it will confirm the category before ordering rather than after fitting.
• Photograph the job card before you leave, in the same way you would for the price ceiling.

Checklist

• Which category of part is being fitted, named on the job card or repair order rather than described over the counter.
• Whether that category is what the quoted figure is based on, and what the figure would be for a different category.
• Whether the part carries its own guarantee, from whom, for how long, and whether it covers only the part or the labour to fit it again.
• Whether any surcharge or old-unit surrender applies.
• That you are to be told, and asked, before the category is changed.
• That the invoice is to show the part number and category against each item.

Getting the part identified on the invoice

The Motor Industry Code of Practice for Service and Repair defines the invoice as a document, provided at the point of payment, showing costs against each item, the work agreed, the parts used with product codes or numbers, the labour charges, any applicable environmental disposal charges, and VAT as applicable. Sources: ^[15]

That code commits accredited businesses, unless a fixed-price arrangement has been agreed in advance, to provide final invoices including a clearly itemised list of the work, the parts used, any additional work agreed, the labour rate and number of hours spent, any additional charges and VAT. Sources: ^[15]

The same code commits accredited businesses to keep clear and accurate records of the work undertaken, to make those records available on request, and to retain them for six years from completion of the work. Sources: ^[15]

An invoice that says 'parts' and a figure is difficult to use for anything later — a second opinion, a warranty claim, a complaint, or simply buying the same thing again in three years. An invoice that names the part and its number is useful to everyone, including the garage.

What to do

• Ask for the part number and category on the invoice at the time of booking, not at the till, because that is when it costs the garage nothing to arrange.
• If the invoice arrives without that detail, ask for an amended or supplementary invoice in writing while the job is fresh.
• Keep the invoice with the written authorisation and the mid-job messages; on its own it proves what you paid, not what you agreed to.

Asking to keep the parts that came off

The Motor Industry Code of Practice for Service and Repair commits accredited businesses to make replaced parts available for the customer to view and examine until collection of the vehicle, unless otherwise agreed, and says the customer should only remove them from the premises if able to dispose of them in an environmentally responsible manner. Sources: ^[15]

That code applies to businesses accredited to it; the code states that accredited businesses are obliged to accept it in its entirety, and The Motor Ombudsman can investigate complaints against accredited businesses by reference to the codes and any relevant legislation. Sources: ^[15]

Replaced parts will be made available for you to view and examine until collection of the Vehicle unless otherwise agreed. You should only ever remove these from the premises if you have the ability to dispose of them in an environmentally responsible manner.

This is commonly described as a right. What can be pointed to as a source is narrower than that, and it is worth knowing the difference before you make the request in those terms.

The industry code approved by the Chartered Trading Standards Institute commits accredited businesses to make replaced parts available for you to view and examine until you collect the vehicle, unless otherwise agreed. That is a commitment about viewing and examining, within a window that closes at collection, binding on businesses accredited to that code. It is not the same proposition as a general legal right to be handed the old component, and this page does not assert that such a right exists or does not exist.

What to do

• Ask at booking, in writing, and ask for the request to be noted on the job card; a request made after collection is a request to undo something the garage has usually already done.
• Say what you want to happen to the parts — held for you to inspect, bagged and handed over, or photographed before disposal — because those are three different asks and the third is often the easiest one for a garage to agree to.
• Accept that some components will not come back: an exchange or remanufactured unit is normally supplied against surrender of the old one, and some items are controlled waste that a garage is set up to dispose of and you are not.
• If the parts have already gone, ask whether the garage kept photographs, video or a written condition note, and ask for those instead.
• Where you expect a dispute, ask for the old part before the work rather than after it, and consider whether an independent inspection is worth arranging while the component is still on the vehicle.

The Motor Industry Code of Practice for Service and Repair (The Motor Ombudsman)

When the part fails: which set of rules applies

Section 1 of the Consumer Rights Act 2015 provides that Part 1 applies where there is a contract between a trader and a consumer for the trader to supply goods, digital content or services, and that Chapter 2 applies if it is a contract for the trader to supply goods and Chapter 4 applies if it is a contract for the trader to supply a service. Sources: ^[1]

Section 1 provides that in each case the Chapter applies even if the contract also covers something covered by another Chapter, which the Act calls a mixed contract, and that two or all three of those Chapters may apply to a mixed contract. Sources: ^[1]

Section 3 provides that Chapter 2 applies to a contract for a trader to supply goods to a consumer, but only if the contract is a sales contract, a contract for the hire of goods, a hire-purchase agreement or a contract for transfer of goods, and that a mixed contract may be a contract of any of those kinds. Sources: ^[2]

Section 8 provides that a contract to supply goods is a contract for transfer of goods if under it the trader transfers or agrees to transfer ownership of the goods to the consumer and the consumer provides consideration otherwise than by paying a price, or the contract is for any other reason not a sales contract or a hire-purchase agreement. Sources: ^[3]

Section 15 provides that goods do not conform to a contract to supply goods where installation forms part of the contract, the goods are installed by the trader or under the trader's responsibility, and they are installed incorrectly. Sources: ^[7]

Section 9 provides that every contract to supply goods is to be treated as including a term that the quality of the goods is satisfactory, judged by the standard a reasonable person would consider satisfactory taking account of any description of the goods, the price or other consideration if relevant, and all the other relevant circumstances. Sources: ^[4]

Section 9 provides that the quality of goods includes their state and condition, and that in appropriate cases fitness for all the purposes for which goods of that kind are usually supplied, appearance and finish, freedom from minor defects, safety and durability are aspects of quality. Sources: ^[4]

Section 9 provides that the satisfactory quality term does not cover anything making the quality unsatisfactory which is specifically drawn to the consumer's attention before the contract is made, or which an examination the consumer makes before the contract is made ought to reveal. Sources: ^[4]

Section 19 provides that where goods do not conform to the contract because of a breach of the terms described in sections 9, 10, 11, 13 and 14, the consumer's rights are the short-term right to reject, the right to repair or replacement, and the right to a price reduction or the final right to reject, each subject to the provisions governing when it is available. Sources: ^[8]

Where goods do not conform under section 15 because installation was incorrect, section 19(4) provides the right to repair or replacement and the right to a price reduction or the final right to reject, each subject to the provisions governing when it is available; section 19(4) does not provide the short-term right to reject for that installation failure. Sources: ^{[7] [8]}

Section 19(14)'s six-month presumption applies only for the purposes of the repair-or-replacement and price-reduction-or-final-rejection routes identified in section 19(3)(b) and (c) and section 19(4). For those routes, goods which do not conform within six months beginning with delivery must be taken not to have conformed on delivery, unless it is established that they did conform then or applying the rule is incompatible with the nature of the goods or with how they fail to conform. The presumption does not extend to the short-term right to reject in section 19(3)(a). Sources: ^[8]

Section 19 provides that a failure to conform is not a failure to conform to the contract if it has its origin in materials supplied by the consumer. Sources: ^[8]

Section 19 provides that the goods remedies do not prevent the consumer seeking other remedies, in addition to or instead of them but not so as to recover twice for the same loss, including claiming damages and relying on the breach against a claim by the trader for the price. Sources: ^[8]

Section 49 provides that every contract to supply a service is to be treated as including a term that the trader must perform the service with reasonable care and skill. Sources: ^[9]

Section 54 provides that where a service does not conform because it was not performed in accordance with section 49, the consumer has the right to require repeat performance and the right to a price reduction, subject to sections 55 and 56. It also preserves other remedies that are open in the circumstances, instead of or in addition to those remedies, but not so as to recover twice for the same loss. Sources: ^{[9] [10]}

Taken together, sections 15, 19, 49 and 54 mean that, where each provision's conditions are met, incorrect fitting can engage both the goods-conformity route and the service reasonable-care-and-skill route. The available remedies may overlap, but they cannot be used to recover twice for the same loss. Sources: ^{[7] [8] [9] [10]}

The Motor Industry Code of Practice for Service and Repair says that where parts are supplied at the customer's request and the accredited business has not diagnosed or examined the vehicle, the business will not be held responsible if the parts are found to be incorrect or not required. Sources: ^[15]

That code also says that where parts are only supplied by the accredited business and not fitted by it, the business will not be responsible for ensuring the parts are fitted with reasonable care and skill. Sources: ^[15]

Every contract to supply goods is to be treated as including a term that the quality of the goods is satisfactory.

But, for the purposes of this section and sections 22 to 24, a failure to conform as mentioned in subsection (1)(a) to (c) is not a failure to conform to the contract if it has its origin in materials supplied by the consumer.

A repair can involve a faulty part, incorrect installation, a service performed without reasonable care and skill, or more than one of those at once. Where the garage supplied and fitted the part, incorrect installation can count as goods not conforming to the contract under section 15 and the same fitting work can also engage the service standard in section 49. The routes are therefore not mutually exclusive; which applies depends on the facts and the contract.

What to do

• Where the garage supplied and fitted the part, put your complaint to the garage rather than to whoever made the part; the contract you have is with the garage.
• Where you supplied the part yourself, expect the analysis to be different, and expect the garage to say so; if you are going to supply your own part, ask first what the garage will and will not stand behind, and get that answer in writing.
• Do not let the part be scrapped while the argument is live; ask in writing for it to be retained pending resolution.
• Describe the failure by what happened rather than by what you think caused it, and leave the diagnosis to whoever inspects it.

Checklist

• Who supplied the part: the garage, or you.
• Whether the complaint is that the part was faulty, that the wrong part was fitted, or that the fitting was poor.
• What was said about the part before you agreed, and whether any of it was written down.
• How long the part lasted, and how far the vehicle travelled in that time.
• Whether the failed part still exists and where it is.

Will a non-original part affect my warranty?

The Competition Act 1998 (Motor Vehicle Agreements Block Exemption) (No. 2) Order 2023 is a block exemption order under section 6 of the Competition Act 1998 relating to motor vehicle aftermarket agreements; it extends to England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, and ceases to have effect at the end of 31 May 2029. Sources: ^{[11] [12]}

Article 1 provides that article 1 itself and article 14, which revokes S.I. 2023/501, came into force on 31 May 2023, while the remainder of the Order, including its operative block-exemption provisions, came into force on 1 June 2023. Sources: ^[12]

That Order replaced retained Commission Regulation (EU) No 461/2010, and revoked and remade with amendments an earlier order, S.I. 2023/501, which contained an error and was revoked before it came into force. Sources: ^[11]

The CMA's guidance on that Order says warranty conditions which require the use of spare parts bearing the motor vehicle supplier's brand in respect of replacements not covered by the warranty terms may be caught by the Chapter I prohibition. Sources: ^[14]

The same guidance says the Chapter I prohibition does not prevent a supplier of motor vehicles, or any other warranty provider, from legitimately refusing to honour a warranty claim on the grounds that the situation leading to the claim is causally linked to a failure by a repairer to carry out a repair or maintenance operation correctly, or to the failure of a spare part supplied by a third party. Sources: ^[14]

The same guidance says terms and conditions proposed to consumers by suppliers of motor vehicles or their authorised networks that clearly state the consumer's right to use the services of an independent repairer without losing the benefit of the warranty are unlikely to give rise to competition concerns. Sources: ^[14]

The Motor Industry Code of Practice for Service and Repair says that where the customer has an extended warranty it is the customer's responsibility to inform the accredited business, and that once informed the business will take reasonable steps to comply with the warranty terms, including obtaining permission from the warranty provider before starting any repairs. Sources: ^[15]

However, the Chapter I prohibition does not prevent a supplier of motor vehicles (or any other warranty provider) from legitimately refusing to honour a warranty claim on the grounds that the situation leading to the claim in question is causally linked i) to a failure on the part of a repairer to carry out a particular repair or maintenance operation in the correct manner, or ii) to the failure of a spare part supplied by a third party.

This page does not answer that question, and you should be careful of anything that answers it confidently in either direction. The honest position is that the answer depends on the terms of your particular warranty, on who provides it, and on how competition rules bear on the terms that provider may impose. There is a UK competition-law regime in this area, and it is worth knowing what it is and what it is not.

What the material below regulates is agreements between businesses — vehicle suppliers, their authorised networks and independent operators. It is not a statement of what any individual warranty covers, and it does not decide whether a particular claim on your warranty will be paid.

What to do

• Ask the warranty provider before the work, not afterwards, and ask for the answer in writing naming the component and the category of part.
• Read the actual warranty document rather than a summary of it, and take the servicing and parts conditions as written.
• If a garage or a warranty provider tells you the position is obvious, ask which term of the warranty they are relying on, and get the answer in writing.
• Keep the written answer with the invoice; it is worth far more at claim time than a recollection of a phone call.

Checklist

• Who provides the warranty: the vehicle manufacturer, the selling dealer, an insurer, or a separate warranty company.
• What the written terms say about where servicing and repairs may be carried out and what parts may be used.
• Whether the work you are about to authorise is covered by the warranty or is outside it.
• Whether the provider requires notification or authorisation before work starts.
• What the provider says, in writing, about the specific part and the specific job you are asking about.

Where this sits alongside authorising the work

The category of part is one of the things you are agreeing to when you authorise a job, and it can change for the same reasons a price changes: what was found, what is available, and what somebody decided at short notice. Setting the scope and the ceiling is covered separately, and this page does not repeat it.

What to do

• Treat the part category as part of the scope you authorise, so that a substitution triggers the same contact rule as an increase in price.
• If the garage rings to say the intended part is unavailable, ask what is being proposed instead and what it changes about the figure, the guarantee and the fitting time, before you agree.
• Read the guide on estimates, quotes and extra work for how to fix the scope, the ceiling and the contact rule before you hand over the keys.

Important

This page does not rate any category of part as better or worse than another, and does not name or recommend any brand, manufacturer, factor or supplier.

Whether the goods provisions, the services provisions or both apply to a particular repair depends on the facts and the documents, and nothing on this page decides that.

Nothing on this page decides what your warranty covers or whether a claim on it will be paid.

Do not drive a vehicle that a reviewed safety conclusion says should not be driven in order to inspect a part, collect an old component or pursue a dispute; arrange recovery instead.