Editor's note: Diamond Standard Manufacturing Group has issued the following press release regarding the safety of aftermarket replacement parts.
Original Equipment Bumper System components defined as bumper fascias, high strength steel reinforcements and high density foam energy absorbers must comply with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards under the NHTSA in CFR 49, Part 581 for new vehicles. “We at Diamond Standard patently believe the individual part criteria established by OEM in its replacement parts created the standard to which all safety parts in collision must be held. The same standard of functional performance is required to properly and effectively restore the function of the system to predamaged condition. Regarding the matter of safety performance of the vehicle, restoring system function achieves minimization of damage in lower speed events, preventing energy from being transferred into the passenger compartment and in the case of frontal events, assist the proper performance of the air bag deployment system,” said Geoff Crane.
Beyond the demonstrated ability and core competency of Diamond Standard’s Manufacturing Group to provide a true alternative part to OEM through precision part engineering, and material matching properties and composition, Diamond Standard has invested in excess of $2 million dollars in dynamically and destructively testing its parts vs. the OEM part (which is the standard) which came on the vehicle initially. “Our tests are conducted according to Federal Standards of Crashworthiness, employing IIHS protocols vs. the OEM part standard at MGA Research Corporation, an independent test facility in Burlington, WI. MGA is used by virtually all original equipment manufacturers,” Crane said. “To our knowledge our testing of individual parts and systems is unique among all aftermarket manufacturers of safety parts and OEM relative to testing service parts,” indicated Crane.
Importantly, “Diamond Standard takes the additional and very necessary step to validate the test results with former crashworthiness experts from NHTSA and the Volpe Center, one of whom co-authored the Federal Standards of Crashworthiness to provide the further assurance of functional part performance to the OEM part,” Crane said. Anyone can represent and claim their part is a replacement for the original safety part but unless that part has demonstrated its ability to match functional performance there is risk inherent in its use. That risk is Increased Damageability, contributing to greater Total Losses and potentially occupant safety issues.
“There is a very unique perception that an aftermarket replacement safety part falls outside regulations that governed the original part’s development and performance and therefore is not required to perform to the same level” suggested Crane. “We at Diamond Standard believe that a safety replacement part despite such a written regulation must provide the intended functional performance of the original part standard to ensure the vehicle operates safely and as designed to future collisions and protect the consumer’s property….it is a matter of conscience” stated Crane and “thus our rationale for the huge investment of proving equality and what it is based on.”
