Finding the proper parts for your Audi can be difficult and leave you with a lot of questions, whether they are for your brand-new dream car or reliable daily commuter. Should you place an online purchase for parts or visit the dealer directly? What distinguishes Genuine OEM from Generic OEM and Aftermarket? Why do some parts cost so much more than others and some parts cost so little?
Discover the distinctions between genuine OEM, generic OEM, and aftermarket parts by reading on. We’ll also look into our possibilities for where to make purchases.
In This Article...
Genuine OEM Parts
Since most parts are readily available and may be picked up the same day, most customers will first visit an Audi authorized dealership when in need of a part. Although it can seem like the ideal way to get the supplies you need, this approach has a cost. Parts sold by dealers may have up to a 300 percent markup. Additionally, if you require a part right away, the dealership may not always have it in stock and it may take a few days for them to arrive, which defeats the purpose. Because you may use that number to buy the part from an online Audi part vendor for a fraction of the price, dealerships are also very reticent to provide part numbers. Additionally, there are times when they will offer you the wrong component number to prevent you from buying the item elsewhere.
As you can see, the Audi/VW logo and part number are present. The majority of dealerships will request the vehicle’s VIN, which might make retrofitting or making modifications a little more challenging because they can only provide you with part numbers linked to that VIN. This is done to reduce the amount of “wrong parts for that particular car” that are distributed. Despite being totally 100% Genuine OEM, components purchased from a dealer are more expensive. The majority of internet retailers also provide Genuine OEM components, which they directly buy from the dealership and then resell for less money.
Generic OEM Parts
It is safe to claim that the car manufacturer cannot develop and produce every single component for the vehicle when you consider all the parts that go into making up a single vehicle. The majority of the components that make up a car come from many independent producers. The majority of auto manufacturers don’t produce their own filters, electrical parts, or standard maintenance items. At this point, Generic OEM parts are useful. The component numbers and Audi/VW insignia are typically deleted to make the part “brand neutral,” but they are the exact same part that you would find on your car.
The VW/Audi logo has been taken down. The absence of the Audi/VW emblem makes it obvious that this is the exact same product as the Genuine OEM component.
This enables the producer to generate extra parts and market them in the secondary market (usually at a lower cost). Just a few examples of generic OEM producers are Bosch, MANN-FILTER, Hella, and Lemforder. A great technique to save money on parts that would otherwise cost twice as much is to use generic OEM components.
Aftermarket Parts
In the aftermarket market, some parts are available for a fraction of the price.
This is just the same oil level sensor in an aftermarket form. The backing differs from the Genuine or Generic OEM part and does not look like it. Both the fit and the quality are identical.
These are typically made by businesses that are familiar with the brand and make other parts for those vehicles. The business draws a blueprint of a Genuine OEM item after studying one. Different aftermarket parts have different quality levels compared to their genuine OEM prototypes. Some are better, while others are worse. The least expensive parts are usually aftermarket. They are not to be confused with imitations.
Knock-Offs
You want to stay away from these areas. Quality is of the utmost significance when it comes to the parts of your car. Fake and imitation parts are typically produced with inferior materials and manufacturing techniques. They frequently fail early and frequently. The majority are sold without a warranty “as is. Avoid trying to cut costs by purchasing inferior parts for the maintenance of your car as they will end up costing you more in the long run. The phrase “Buying well means buying twice in this case.
Where to buy Audi & VW parts?
It all relies on your needs when it comes to buying parts for your car. The dealer might be your only choice if getting the parts that day is really necessary. Although the price will be higher, bear in mind that the part could not actually be in stock. Finding a trustworthy online shop like Europa Parts, where most items ship the same day and overnight shipping is also an option, would be your best choice if you can wait a day or more.
The lesson here is that you don’t have to spend a fortune on new parts for your cherished Audi.
Are Volkswagen and Audi the same?
Yes. The bigger Volkswagen Group, with its headquarters in Germany’s Bavaria, includes Audi. The Volkswagen Group also owns numerous other car brands, including Bentley, Bugatti, Porsche, and Lamborghini.
Do Volkswagen and Audi collaborate?
Volkswagen AG is a global automotive behemoth with extensive global influence. The German car manufacturer offers a wide range of brands, some of which are well-known and others which are less well-known. It might be difficult for many readers to name them all.
Naturally, many of them have German roots, starting with the well-known Volkswagen brand, which is marketed in vast quantities all over the world, as well as the upscale Audi brand and the legendary Porsche. However, Volkswagen has owned the Czech brand koda since 2000 and the Spanish brand SEAT since 1990. In 1998, the business added the then-dormant French brand Bugatti to its portfolio, together with the British brand Bentley and the Italian brand Lamborghini.
Volkswagen experimented with its own sub-brand, JETTA, in 2019, but only in China. JETTA had its own dealer network.
The Volkswagen Group’s main office is in Wolfsburg, Germany, however many of its brands have regional offices that report back to the parent company. Volkswagen Group is most known for producing passenger cars, but it also owns Ducati motorbikes, which are owned by Audi through Lamborghini, and the heavy truck brands MAN and Scania. Scania was formerly a part of the corporation that also produced Saab cars.
Here is a list of the automakers currently included in the Volkswagen Group.
Volkswagen
The Volkswagen Group, headquartered in Wolfsburg and best known for the Beetle, has Volkswagen as its major, high-volume brand.
Adolf Hitler, the leader of the Nazi Party, ordered the German Labour Front to form VW in Berlin in 1937 because he desired a reasonably priced “people’s automobile,” or Volkswagen. Hitler, who loved cars but couldn’t drive, is reported to have insisted on the air-cooled engine and the ability for the car to go at its highest speed of 62 mph on the autobahn while carrying two adults and three children.
At the 1938 Berlin Motor Show, Hitler personally introduced the vehicle, which was given the official name KdF-Wagen. Moreover, despite the fact that thousands of Germans had pre-ordered and paid for one, fewer than 200 civilian versions were completed before World War II interrupted construction.
The car’s manufacture had resumed in December 1945 under the supervision of a British Army officer, Major Ivan Hirst, and many automakers, including Ford, were given the chance to take over after the war. All of them rejected the Beetle, so in 1948 Hirst hired a German engineer, Heinz Nordhoff, to run the factory on his own.
With just two units sold in its debut year, the Volkswagen brand entered the American market in 1949. However, the Beetle’s simple handling, high quality, and reliabilityall of which had been significantly enhanced under Nordhoff’s directionquickly transformed a cult following into mass market appeal. The Beetle’s popularity encouraged Detroit’s Big Three to start producing their own inexpensive compacts in the late 1950s.
Before the water-cooled, front-drive Golf took off in the 1970s, VW battled for years to find a replacement for the Beetle. A lot of other VW models failed to impress in the US because they provided too few amenities at a higher price point than competitors, despite the fact that the Golf became VW’s heartland vehicle and is still the segment benchmark in its eighth iteration. There were moments when it seemed the Volkswagen brand might completely leave the market.
The VW Golf, Jetta, Passat, and Arteon, as well as the VW Tiguan, Atlas, and Atlas Cross Sport crossovers, fill out the current roster of vehicles. Future attention will be on electric vehicles, beginning with the Volkswagen ID4 in 2021.
Audi
One of VW’s high-end brands, Audi, has a headquarters in Germany’s Ingolstadt and functions somewhat independently of its parent company.
The name Audi was first registered by German engineer August Horch in 1910. Horch, which in German means “listen,” was the founder of an automobile manufacturer under his own name in 1904. Audi, Hord, DKW, and Wanderer were the four automakers that combined to form Auto Union in 1932, and their names are represented by the logo’s four rings.
After Volkswagen purchased Auto Union from Daimler-Benz in 1965, the brand was revived with the release of the Audi F103 series and the restoration of the Audi name after a 25-year absence.
At first, Volkswagen was only interested in the capability of the Ingolstadt plant; it had no desire for Auto Union to function independently. The first Audi 100 was created by Auto Union engineers undercover, and it wowed VW brass before being released in 1968. A year later, Auto Union amalgamated with NSU Motorenwerke, a manufacturer of rotary engines, motorbikes, and compact vehicles. On January 1st, 1969, the new business, Audi NSU Auto Union AG, was established with Audi as a distinct brand.
In 1970, Volkswagen launched the Audi nameplate on the American market. The firm was renamed Audi AG in 1986, and its headquarters were once again in Ingolstadt.
Despite the positive reception to the debut of quattro all-wheel drive
Recalls for allegations of rapid unplanned acceleration, promoted by a false 60 Minutes piece, nearly ruined the brand in North America in the 1980s. The 1980 Audi quattro Coupe utilized an all-wheel drive system derived from the Volkswagen Iltis military vehicle.
When it was decided in 1972 that no member of the Porsche family (he was the grandson of Ferdinand Porsche) should be involved in the day-to-day operations of the German sports car manufacturer, Ferdinand Piech joined Audi from Porsche. While initially providing Volkswagen with engineering skills it lacked in-house, Audi’s impact on the company turned out to be far greater.
In 1993, Piech was appointed chairman of the Volkswagen Group. Since then, he has played a key role in the company’s aggressive brand acquisition strategy and the creation of iconic cars like the Golf 4, Audi R8, Bentley Continental, and Bugatti Veyron.
Despite being hit by scandal once more in 2015 as a result of the bigger Volkswagen emissions testing affair, Audi is now a reputable and well-known manufacturer of sporty premium vehicles and SUVs. Audi is moving into the electric car market, starting with the Audi E-Tron, in accordance with the general direction set for the Volkswagen Group.
Porsche
Porsche is a name that is closely associated with fast sports automobiles. The Volkswagen Group owns the German company, which has its headquarters in Stuttgart.
Ferdinand Porsche established Porsche in 1931, originally working on other people’s cars like the Volkswagen Beetle. The 356, which shared many design cues with the original Beetle, including its rear-mounted air-cooled four-cylinder engine, was the first Porsche vehicle built under its own brand following World War II. The rear-mounted air-cooled 911, which was created as a roomier, more powerful, and more comfortable replacement for the 356, debuted in 1963 and over the course of eight generations has grown to become one of the most recognizable sports cars in the entire world.
The Porsche and Pich families’ voting-share ownership has made the corporate structure somewhat of a soap opera over the years, which was made worse when Porsche and Volkswagen both attempted to acquire one other in the early 2000s. There were intricate arrangements over who controlled what at various corporate levels, and a resolution was reached to consolidate their manufacturing divisions, but in the end, Porsche AG was owned and run by Volkswagen AG in 2012.
Porsche’s lineup of vehicles also includes the Boxster, Cayman, and Panamera performance sedan in addition to the legendary 911. With the 2002 release of the Cayenne and the 2014 debut of the more compact Macan, the brand entered the SUV market. With the Taycan’s introduction last year, Porsche has also entered the market for high-performance electric automobiles.
Lamborghini
Italian company luscious Lamborghini is a subsidiary of the Volkswagen Group in Germany.
Ferruccio Lamborghini established Lamborghini in 1963 in Sant’Agata Bolognese, Italy, to take on Ferrari. It is renowned for its low-slung, rear-wheel-drive, unusual mid-engine vehicles. With the release of the Lamborghini Urus, a sports crossover with a twin-turbo V-8, it has progressed from sports cars to luxury sport crossovers as well.
Since 1973, the company has experienced three ownership changes and one bankruptcy. Ferruccio sold the business to two investors in 1974 after he retired, but they were compelled to declare bankruptcy two years later. In 1984, the receivers purchased it. Later, Chrysler purchased Lamborghini in 1987 but sold it to investment companies in Malaysia and Indonesia in 1994. In 1998, they sold Lamborghini to the Volkswagen Group, who incorporated the company under its Audi business.
In 2010 and 2012, the Volkswagen Group acquired the bulk of shares in the renowned Italian motorcycle manufacturer Ducati through Lamborghini, as well as the Italian design studio Italdesign Giugiaro.
Buy VW and Audi parts legally?
You may browse, discover, and buy all the OEM parts and accessories you require right here. For all VW and Audi car models, we supply the entire OEM parts inventory. Genuine OEM parts are offered at deep discounts on our website, and they all arrive to your home quickly and inexpensively. You can discover the components you need very easily from us, and our Audi and VW vehicle experts provide excellent customer service. We appreciate your business.
Where are the parts for Audi made?
Where Are Audi Automobiles Produced? Despite being a German carmaker, Audi produces cars globally. Germany, Hungary, Belgium, Mexico, Slovakia, Spain, Russia, Brazil, India, and China are a few nations where Audi is produced.