I was recently doing a brake job on my 2002 Jaguar X-Type. On one of the rear caliper bolts there was a 12-oz rubber and steel donut. The reason for the weight is to help dampen vibrations and shift the frequency. It is the same approach GM engineers used on the new Camaro when they placed what appeared to be lead wheel weights on the caliper. It works, but it is not the most attractive of solutions.

It really got me thinking about how the image, reality and marketing of Original Equipment (OE) engineering, parts and service has changed in just the 10 years I have been with BRAKE & FRONT END.

I am not making judgments on OES brake pads or other parts, or making blanket statements on what pads are better. But, I am clarifying the confusing marketing messages used by both aftermarket and OE marketing people. This is one of the few things I can critique with some authority.

For the past 10 years, the phrase “Meets OE ______” has been used by the replacement parts industry to the point where it has lost any and all meaning. Some companies even use it to sell wiper blades. But, it is still part of the collective conscious of technicians that OE equals quality.

When it comes to OES pads, chances are it will not be the same pad, or even manufacturer. It will be close to the OE pad because, in some cases, the OE is willing to share design and engineering specifications with the OES supplier.

Most shops will tell you they buy brake pads from the dealer if the customer specifies it or if they have confidence in the dealer’s product (which is rightly deserved in some cases). Some of these OES pads are manufactured by many of the advertisers you see in this magazine.

But, the most irritating aspect of these second-line pads is when local dealers try to pass off $99 “pad slaps” as “approved service” with “genuine” parts.

Most of the marketing and advertising at the local level by the dealers makes it sound like the consumer will drive out of the service department with a new car for $99. It is a marketing ploy that plays on the assumptions and ignorance of the consumer. Also, it is hurting the automotive service industry as a whole.

This was a repost from an original article by Andrew Markel on Brake and Front End