Genuine or aftermarket: how to choose parts for a Chinese car

When a Chinese car needs a part, the choice is usually between genuine and aftermarket. A genuine part carries the carmaker’s part number and is fitted on the production line or supplied to official service centres. An aftermarket part comes from a third-party maker: it is compatible with the car, but quality and precision vary between brands. Here is when to choose which.

What our catalog’s figures say

In practice the key difference is availability. The aftermarket parts in our catalog are always in stock, and reach Almaty in one to three weeks. More than half of the genuine parts are ordered in, and large assemblies take up to six weeks.

Where aftermarket makes sense

An aftermarket part works well where the part is simple, wears quickly and does not affect the car’s safety or electronics:

• filters — cabin and air;
• wiper blades;
• fluids — oil, coolant, brake fluid, as long as they meet the specifications in the manual;
• spark plugs, and accessories such as a roof rack or seat covers.

Prices are close. The genuine BYD cabin filter for the Seal, Dolphin and Song costs ₽4,890 delivered; an aftermarket PM2.5 filter for the XPeng G6 costs ₽4,720. The difference is not the money but how quickly you can get it.

A few more examples from the catalog. For the Hongqi H9 with the 3.0T engine, an aftermarket air filter costs ₽5,300 and a set of six spark plugs ₽9,860; both are in stock and arrive in 10 days. An aftermarket cabin filter for the Lynk & Co 08 costs ₽4,470 and arrives in 8 days.

Where genuine is better

Choose genuine for anything related to safety, electronics, high voltage and precise fit. With such parts the connectors, calibration and software matter, and a mistake is expensive.

• Headlamps and driver-assistance cameras: the XPeng G6 front camera costs ₽63,100, the BYD Seal left LED headlamp ₽72,300.
• High-voltage components: the Zeekr 800 V on-board charger costs ₽193,000, a Blade battery module for the Dolphin ₽598,000.
• Body panels, air springs, transmission and steering.

How to choose

1. Find the part by VIN and note the OEM number — both genuine and aftermarket parts are matched against it.
2. If the part affects safety or electronics, take genuine.
3. For consumables, compare price and lead time: aftermarket often arrives a couple of weeks sooner.
4. If you need a part urgently and the genuine one is only to order, ask us about a compatible aftermarket option.