Came across an interesting article the other day in Collision Week. They talked about how the IIHS doesn’t endorse the use of aftermarket parts. Read more below: By Collision Week The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) says it does not recommend the use of aftermarket structural parts because there is no system in place to guarantee that they would perform the same way the original parts would in a crash. David Zuby, chief research officer for the IIHS, was quoted in Consumer Reports Thursday saying, “The vehicle structure is part of a complex system designed to protect people in crashes, as well as hold up the engine. There’s a lot of engineering that goes into Read entire post...

Direct Repair Programs or DRP’s are commonplace in today’s world of vehicle repair. More and more shops have joined forces with insurance companies all over the United States in order to gain as many referrals as they can in an industry that can be very competitive. DRP’s facilitate the relationship between the body shop and the insurance company and the owner of the vehicle being repaired. Taking your vehicle to a DRP shop is supposed to save a lot of hassle and paperwork on everyone’s behalf.
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No, the final choice is yours but if the insurer wants to use non-OEM parts and you decide to use more expensive OEM parts, you may have to pay the difference in cost. All depends what is stated in your policy. Read entire post...

This is a wide open question and can only be answered by your policy limits. Your policy may state that they can replace OEM parts with like, kind and quality parts which could be a used part or an aftermarket part. Read entire post...