The national media’s fascination with insurance company steering of repairs to “preferred” collision repair shops is now reaching the local level. Unfortunately, the aftermarket parts industry is being tarred with a broad brush used by reporters who generally talk about just one side of the story.

The latest hit came from a report on steering on Boston’s WCVB-TV. While the focus of the segment is on vehicle owners being prodded by their insurance companies to use shops in a direct repair program (DRP), the report infers that aftermarket parts are lower quality that OEM products.

A brief mention is made of testing and certification of “some” aftermarket parts, But the bias of the reporter was clearly on the side of collision repair shops who prefer to install OEM parts. Rob DelGallo, a shop owner interviewed during the segment, is a longtime proponent of OEM parts use.

This televised report is further evidence that the aftermarket parts industry must continue to educate the public about the value, safety and performance of non-OEM parts. Our side of the story must be told.