[gbears96]

Hi everyone,

Long time reader, but first time poster. I have a basic question that is probably a no brainer for most of you all.

When ordering parts (in my case: spark plugs and ignition coils), should I be only purchasing "Genuine BMW" or am I good with "OEM" Bosch products?

I drive a 2015 X5 5.0i.

Also, if anyone can offer a recommended site to buy from, that would be great!

Thanks in advance.

[c1pher]

In my mind they are the same thing.

[dab1981]

I've had good luck with FCP Euro. Their website does a good job of showing which parts are compatible with your make/model. The OE parts I have received from them look exactly the same as the old part - just without "BMW" on it.

[Brandoch]

OE = Original Equipment = Genuine BMW
OEM = Original Equipment Manufacturer = The company who makes the parts for the OE just with out the BMW logo on it. Sometimes the OEM has the mold already with BMW stamped in it and they scratch off the logo after manufacturing, other times the OEM stamps the logo post manufacturing.

Either way they are the same aside from the BMW logo.

[LeonHtownM440]

All carmakers have 3rd party manufacture their parts, even if it says OEM BMW, it's highly possible other established manufacturers are actually making the parts for them. For example, Lexus uses DENSO or other well known manufacturers to make their parts, but in the end you pay the differences between the logo and packaging when it says Lexus. If your car is 2015, I really don't think it will make that big of a difference for replacement wear and tear parts. Besides, most of the auto parts store all provide warranty for the parts they sell. But it's just my personal opinion.

[DanG]

Two suggestions for parts:

https://www.mybimmerparts.com/v

https://www.getbmwparts.com/

[No one]

They are (the terms refer to) the same thing indeed. And yes, regarding the ambiguity, it's a no brainer: if you have money, go for the "genuine OEM" parts which are claimed to meet higher quality/special requirements (unless you really know that's bullshit: say, you make both OEM and aftermarket versions of a part ) and if you have not that much, save and comfort yourself it's just the branding, if you like .

[tom @ eas]

Originally Posted by No one

They are (the terms refer to) the same thing indeed. And yes, regarding the ambiguity, it's a no brainer: if you have money, go for the "genuine OEM" parts which are claimed to meet higher quality/special requirements (unless you really know that's bullshit: say, you make both OEM and aftermarket versions of a part ) and if you have not that much, save and comfort yourself it's just the branding, if you like .

It's licensing, plain and simple.

[Redd]

As above. But to me, for certain items, there is a quality difference between OE and OEM. But it's specific. E.g. for suspension arms, there seems to be a quality difference between OE BMW and TRW OEM arms.

For some items, like spark plugs, sensors etc, OE and OEM are the same.

[Pauly Wauly]

I check RockAuto first, and if they don`t have the part that I need then I look in other places.
Most of the time RockAuto has the cheapest parts around, and they carry some OEM parts.

[tom @ eas]

Originally Posted by Redd

As above. But to me, for certain items, there is a quality difference between OE and OEM. But it's specific. E.g. for suspension arms, there seems to be a quality difference between OE BMW and TRW OEM arms.

For some items, like spark plugs, sensors etc, OE and OEM are the same.

Rear control arms are identical on E92 M3. In fact, the M logo is ground off the castings when ordering as a TRW part.

[Chihuahua]

Originally Posted by Redd

As above. But to me, for certain items, there is a quality difference between OE and OEM.

It's a perceived difference on your part; OE and OEM are literally the same part, other than BMW specific branding on OE.

[ctcarbonari]

Originally Posted by Redd

As above. But to me, for certain items, there is a quality difference between OE and OEM. But it's specific. E.g. for suspension arms, there seems to be a quality difference between OE BMW and TRW OEM arms.

For some items, like spark plugs, sensors etc, OE and OEM are the same.

I agree 100% in regard to certain items having a quality difference.
OE & OEM are not always "the same", although for all practical purposes OEM vs OE performance is usually just as good.

Example: Spark Plugs on 15' 535i (N55); P/N 12-12-0-037-582
OE (Genuine BMW) are rebranded Bosch Plugs #ZR5TPP33S
OEM are Bosch #ZR5TPP33

The "S" suffix plugs are pre-gapped at 0.028", have a slightly higher resistance rating and are not available for purchase w/o BMW branding (at least, that's how it was a couple years ago when I ventured into the rabbit hole of replacing my plugs & coils)

Will it really make any difference? I dunno, doubtful, imo.

[BMWILUVU]

Case by case basis. Injectors I would stay close to OE but coils, sensors like O2 go with as close to OE as you can or top Jap equivalents. Ie, spark plugs and O2 sensors I'd personally not have a problem using NGK or Denso if Denso made equivalents. Theres not going to be much of a difference for parts like suspension arms as long as you stick to the usual suspects and not some cheap China knock off although most of these parts are made in China anyway and could be the same manufacturer but I'd not risk it.

[Westside Guy]

Originally Posted by Chihuahua

It's a perceived difference on your part; OE and OEM are literally the same part, other than BMW specific branding on OE.

What about Michelin tires? The OE Michelin Pilot 4s* tire has BMW specific branding (the Star) and Michelin puts a different compound on the tires as opposed to their after market Pilot Sport 4s tire.

[Tambohamilton]

All of you saying OE = OEM; it's not true.

OE stands for "Original Equipment", which is the same as saying "Genuine BMW".

OEM stands for "Original Equipment Manufacturer" which refers to any company who have made any part for any automotive manufacturer.

For example I have a Febi intake manifold on my M57. Febi are an OEM. They even make/made OE parts for BMW. But Febi never made the M57 intake manifold - Markiv Automotive did.

So if you happen to know which OEM actually made/makes the OE part then I think it's often fair to say that the non-OE part from that manufacturer is the same as the OE part but without the logos. But we can't prove or guarantee that it's identical or has gone through the same QC measures etc, so we can't say for sure.

I'm just making this point because many OEMs and retailers market parts as "OEM quality" etc, but 99% of the time that is pretty much meaningless and has no bearing on the actual OE part quality.

[gridworks]

My understanding is there's 3 tiers; genuine, OE, and OEM. OE being the exact same part as a genuine one, only difference being the missing BMW stamping/etching.
OEM parts are produced by manufacturers that produce parts for BMW, possibly in other applications and not necessarily the part in question.

FCP has an article that explains this: https://blog.fcpeuro.com/the-great-d...vs-aftermarket

[rbryantaz]

Originally Posted by Tambohamilton

All of you saying OE = OEM; it's not true.

OE stands for "Original Equipment", which is the same as saying "Genuine BMW".

OEM stands for "Original Equipment Manufacturer" which refers to any company who have made any part for any automotive manufacturer.

For example I have a Febi intake manifold on my M57. Febi are an OEM. They even make/made OE parts for BMW. But Febi never made the M57 intake manifold - Markiv Automotive did.

So if you happen to know which OEM actually made/makes the OE part then I think it's often fair to say that the non-OE part from that manufacturer is the same as the OE part but without the logos. But we can't prove or guarantee that it's identical or has gone through the same QC measures etc, so we can't say for sure.

I'm just making this point because many OEMs and retailers market parts as "OEM quality" etc, but 99% of the time that is pretty much meaningless and has no bearing on the actual OE part quality.

Yes that is an important thing to watch.

It is important to know the OEM for a specific part not just that they are an OEM for some parts.

In some cases it can also be possible that the OEM makes a slightly different part as the OE part. And then has their own version for their branded parts but I find that to be more rare than it just being a rebranding. The Michelin tires are a good example but it is also fairly clear if you look at tirerack where they usually sell both versions.

An OEM might also have a premium line that is the same as OE where their value line is not.

I haven't seen many cases where logos were removed because they were "seconds of lower quality" but it is possible that some company would do that. I have not experienced that from the major OEMs though. For me I have always felt that it was the same exact part with the logo removed due to branding so I will usually buy OEM instead of OE unless it is somewhere that the logo is in plain sight and ground off or something like that....

Most of the time OE is just paying for a logo but there are some exceptions.... Some sites like rmeuropean.com which I use quite often have a (OEM) note on a part by part basis that denotes which company was OEM for that specific part.

-Rich

[TboneS54]

There are 4:

OE - original to the car, referred to as "Genuine BMW."

OEM - the company (manufacturer) that made original (any parts) parts for our car. Bosch made OE parts for us, but not our oil filter so that bosch part would be OEM, for example. Our oil filter is made by Mahle (iirc), so that would be an OES part if bought from Mahle (via FCP/ECS).

OES - A part that is identical to OE (often has BMW logo ground off), still made by the same company that made it originally for our car. Unfortunately, however, these days, the companies are moving production of these parts to China, so I don't really know if we can still call them OE(S) - are they really of comensurate quality now?

Aftermarket - Any part made by a company that never made parts, originally, for the vechicle in question.

[F32Fleet]

Originally Posted by gbears96

Hi everyone,

Long time reader, but first time poster. I have a basic question that is probably a no brainer for most of you all.

When ordering parts (in my case: spark plugs and ignition coils), should I be only purchasing "Genuine BMW" or am I good with "OEM" Bosch products?

I drive a 2015 X5 5.0i.

Also, if anyone can offer a recommended site to buy from, that would be great!

Thanks in advance.

https://www.fcpeuro.com/page/oe-academy