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GM Authority

GM Dealers Can’t Order Your Part? Bring Your Own

In case you’ve been living under a rock for the last few years, the automotive industry has been facing some pretty serious headwinds lately, with first the COVID-19 pandemic, then the UAW strike, and many other issues affecting GM production, logistics, and supply of both vehicles and components. That extends to General Motors and the availability of Genuine GM parts, with countless GM dealers simply not having the necessary pieces to fix vehicles as a result of various constraints. Of course, that doesn’t mean you can’t get your own part for installation if your vehicle is out of warranty.

A Chevrolet dealer.

For those customers looking to their local GM dealer to install a part on a vehicle that’s out of warranty, it’s currently not uncommon to hear that the parts are unavailable due to a shortage or backlog of negative impacts from the UAW strike. As it is, GM dealers must order parts through GM’s official channels, which ensures the fitment of a genuine part. But that doesn’t mean the customer can’t bring their own part to the GM dealer in question for installation.

For those who have run into a situation where the dealer doesn’t have or can’t get the necessary part for a repair, we suggest asking for the part number for the necessary component, then tracking it down yourself. A few options for this could include eBay, an online parts store, or simply typing the part number into a search engine, like Google. This method can sometimes be faster and less expensive than having the dealer source the part. Of course, we should mention that the part will need to be a Genuine GM piece in order for the GM dealer that installs it to guarantee the work, so remember that when looking for your own parts.

It should also be mentioned that if the part in question is covered under the vehicle warranty, the customer won’t be able to bring their own. That is, of course, unless they are ok with footing the bill for the part themselves, rather than the GM pay for both the part and the labor to install it via the vehicle warranty.

The most recent stumbling block to GM production and parts availability is the UAW strike, which affected numerous GM facilities across the nation, including direct strikes at GM parts facilities and distribution centers. The strike also resulted in numerous downstream affects, and GM is still sorting through a backlog of negative repercussions.

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Jonathan is an automotive journalist based out of Southern California. He loves anything and everything on four wheels.

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Comments

  1. Try eBay for parts. I bought a windshield washer pump for my 2009 Chevy Equinox for less than at my dealer. And bought relays for my Ford car also for a lesser cost at eBay.

    Reply
  2. We are a Mercury Marine dealer and they have had the same issue;If we see Mercury is down to the last 10 or 20 of a popular item we buy them all…keep some for our locals and put the rest on Ebay.Often Mercury will be 2-3 month delivery if they run out of stock.We also find other dealers doing the same so if we have a customer unit held up we will buy off ebay to get them going.

    Reply
    1. So you were hoarding profiteer trading on the shortages to make other dealers and customers have to search for alternative sources for parts and pay more. And people on this forum think car dealers are bad. You are worse ..

      Reply
  3. Good luck with that approach, if locating your own part and requesting dealer installation, or at any after market repair facility. Warrantees and guarantees go out the window!

    Be very careful sourcing claimed “OE” components online beyond the dealership portals, because there is huge mass market presentation of components as OE, that appear to be OE, but are cleverly presented counterfeits. Buy beware!

    If even accepted, no part of the work typically carries any warranty if associated with component failure supplied by the owner.

    Also, when aftermarket repair facilities install GM parts ordered through the system, they do not normally follow the MSRP protocols, using the “Suggested” as a loop hole to ramp up prices, but blame the dealer for high costs.

    Many use a mark-up matrix that multiplies the OE component MRSP by at least 1.5X to 2x or much higher to completely unbelievable prices.

    I would recommend that those having their vehicles repaired outside of a dealership compare the dealership retail cost with what they paid, because it is a huge price gouging world of opportunity!

    Reply
  4. Ahhh capitalism, gotta love greedy crooked and stupid bastards.

    Reply
    1. Wrong. Communism. That counterfeit crap all comes from China.

      Reply
  5. The strikes aren’t always the problem. I have a 2013 Spark and can’t get a brake fluid level sensor that’s faulty. GM discontinued the part altogether, forcing me to just deal with the occasional indicator lights coming on. Was told by dealer manufacturers do this all the time after 7 or 8 years. Sure enough, I can’t find the part anywhere.

    Reply
    1. Do you no the part #

      Reply
      1. yes, it’s 23302008 body wire harness 2015 gmc sierra

        Reply
  6. So if I, the customer, can source my own parts from other entities so long as they are genuine GM…why can’t the dealership do this themselves to provide a better service for their customers?

    Let’s put the burden of sourcing parts on the customer, instead of showing them we (dealership) cares and values the customer’s business.

    Reply
    1. I was thinking the same thing. Why can’t the dealers do the part searching for us/ ?

      Reply
  7. If you run into this forget eBay. Go to Rock Auto. They have never failed me.

    Reply
  8. Amazon has an ACDelco store. OEM parts for a whole lot less.

    Reply
  9. Rock Auto also sells the various levels of ACDelco and “GM Genuine” parts.

    While the “dealers” might not know all of the ins and outs of procuring GM Parts, their PARTS DEPT people should. These people have been chasing parts since the supply chain issues started, so always checking what’s in GM’s many warehouses AND jobbers on the parts locators should be common procedures by now. Many have gotten quite good at it, even chasing the prior numbers in the part number change string.

    Even if a dealer might have the desired part, that dealer might have special-ordered it for a customer, so it might be on the locator but NOT FOR SALE, as it is dedicated to their customer.

    eBay and Amazon might have ACDelco items, but there is no guarantee they are “genuine” and not offshore knock-offs, by observation. Buyer BEWARE! Rock Auto, or similar, might be a better option.

    Reply
  10. Try vintage parts out of beaver dam Wisconsin

    Reply
  11. Good reasons to not buy a GM vehicle. I’ve been waiting on an OnStat module for 3 months and the delayed parts department manager just told me she’s seen it take up to a year.

    Reply
    1. Don’t fool around! Call Customer Service for the for the vehicle division you have and give them hell.

      Reply
  12. I would say that if someone is still making payments on a vehical that they cannot drive due to the shortage, GM needs to either refund the customer OR total the car out. This is BS to have to wait months on a part for a car that the owner cannot drive. MAKE THIS RIGHT GM or LOSE YOUR CUSTOMERS. The word is going to get out about this and how things are being handled.

    Reply
  13. I would say that if someone is still making payments on a vehical that they cannot drive due to the shortage, GM needs to either refund the customer OR total the car out. This is BS to have to wait months on a part for a car that the owner cannot drive. MAKE THIS RIGHT GM or LOSE YOUR CUSTOMERS. The word is going to get out about this and how things are being handled.

    Reply
  14. the part i need is not out of stock, it’s been discontinued.

    Reply

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