The Certified Automotive Parts Association (CAPA) says it has approved Bosch for its Tier 1 replacement parts verification program.

Bosch will now submit its ultrasonic parking sensors to be validated ahead of the program rollout.

CAPA said its verification program is available for Tier 1 suppliers that produce in-house, alternately branded versions of car company original (CCO) or car company service (CCS) parts for auto repairs.

“Historically, Tier 1 replacement parts have lacked clear definitions and been classified as aftermarket parts, making it difficult to determine which parts are truly comparable to CCOs or CCSs,” CAPA said in a press release. “The CAPA Tier 1 Verification Program helps clarify these parts by ensuring the same factory, tooling, materials, and manufacturing processes are used during the production of the car company part and the Tier 1 Verified replacement part.

“Additionally, CAPA Tier 1 Verified parts must also demonstrate compliance to all applicable federal regulations.”

Neither CAPA nor Bosch responded to Repairer Driven News queries to say whether Boch is allowed to sell parts into the replacement marketplace that are the same as what they sell and create for manufacturers.

RDN also sought to know whether the parts come from the same assembly line, are made identically and, if not, how the differences could be identified.

It’s worth noting that in 2019, a Denso original equipment service parts division director told a Collision Industry Conference audience that aftermarket parts distributed by DENSO through aftermarket retail channels aren’t necessarily identical to OEM parts.

“It doesn’t meet that same criteria” as what it builds for an OEM, David Williams, Denso original equipment service parts division director, said. He attributed the differences to “two major buckets” of reasons — one “contractual,” one “strategic.”

RDN also sought an answer to clarify which entity warranties a tier 1 part, manufactured by a Tier 1 supplier, but sold in the aftermarket.

Last year, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) directed General Motors (GM) to recall approximately 727,000 model year 2010–17 GMC Terrain vehicles because their headlamps do not comply with a Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FVMSS).

In that case, the recall was set to be reviewed by CAPA, which certifies aftermarket parts made to replicate the original GM lamps, Stacy Bartnik, industry relations manager of transportation technologies for Intertek, told RDN at the time. Intertek operates CAPA’s certification system.

“NHTSA recalls are monitored; if a car company service part is recalled, CAPA reviews the nature of the recall to determine next steps,” Bartnik said. “If that is found to be the case, actions such as but not limited to a part decertification, notification to the manufacturer, and a Public Safety Notice may be issued with applicable NHTSA Campaign ID.”

CAPA routinely requires ongoing compliance with FMVSS 108 and requires manufacturers to submit a sample from each CAPA-certified lot for testing.

Related to its latest announcement, CAPA also didn’t clarify the difference between a verification or a certification program, or what differences are allowable to be approved. It isn’t known whether there is a review of the suppliers’ agreements that confirm they’re allowed to sell parts in the market, and that they are the same specifications produced for OEMs.

RDN also asked whether the verification process is affected when an OEM supersedes a specification on a part, and if new parts need to be verified against those specs.

CAPA did say in a press release that it strives to be a “trusted leader” in providing quality auto parts.

“We’re thrilled to add an esteemed manufacturer like Bosch to the CAPA Tier 1 Verification Program,” Clark Plucinski, chairman of CAPA’s board of directors, said in the release. “The demand has never been higher in the repair industry for high quality replacement sensors. CAPA is eager to begin answering that call with its Tier 1 Verified ultrasonic parking sensors.”

In June 2021, CAPA announced the new program to recognize parts from any OEM supplier “that also produces an in-house, alternately branded version of car company original (CCO) or car company service (CCS) parts used for automotive repair.”

The parts would have to be identical except for “branding such as trade name, trademarks and packaging,” according to CAPA.

As CAPA described it at the time, it could be likened to a Tier 1 assembly line which ends the parts production run contracted by an OEM and immediately begins producing an aftermarket run of the same part. The Tier 1 just quits applying the OEM’s branding to the part.

“CAPA Tier 1 Verification will help to ensure there are no changes – aside from branding such as trade name, trademarks, and packaging – when the production is switched from car company parts to Tier 1 branded version, making it easier to determine which Tier 1 branded parts are produced to the same standards as car company parts,” CAPA wrote in a news release when announcing its program.

CAPA said these represented a different category of part than other aftermarket parts.

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