CAPA Certified Auto parts
“CAPA-certified auto parts” refers to automotive parts that have been certified by a professional organization which is known as Certified Automotive Parts Association (CAPA).
The Certified Automotive Parts Association (CAPA) was Founded in 1987, since then they didn’t look back and now CAPA has been a leader in establishing industry standards for the certification of auto parts. Today, CAPA is recognized as the most reliable organization for the certification of automotive parts.
The CAPA is an independent, non-profit organization that was created to test and certify aftermarket auto parts for quality and safety.
CAPA has a state-of-the-art facility to test and certify the various categories of automotive parts and their certified parts are deemed to be the most reliable and trustworthy.
We can easily say that the CAPA certification can provide assurance and peace of mind to consumers and repair facility owners that replacement parts are of high quality and meet certain quality standards.
What does CAPA mean in auto parts?
As modern vehicles come with more advanced technology, it is important that consumers can trust that the replacement parts they purchase are not only safe and reliable but also fit and function properly.
The reason for CAPA-certified parts reliability is when you find a part that is CAPA certified, it means that it has passed a series of thorough testing procedures and meets the same quality and safety standards as the original equipment manufacturer parts.
The CAPA-certified parts can give consumers peace of mind when purchasing replacement parts for their vehicles.
CAPA is striving to provide consumers with the same level of confidence in the quality of replacement parts they purchase for their vehicles as they are purchasing from the company.
Besides parts certification, CAPA also provides a variety of resources and learning materials for consumers which include guides on how to select replacement parts, as well as information on industry trends and best practices.
Are CAPA certified parts as good as OEM?
It has been observed that the CAPA-certified parts are as good as the OEM parts, however mostly it depends on specific parts. Some automobile professionals share their views regarding CAPA-certified parts in which they disclose that sometimes they found the quality of the CAPA-certified parts is even higher than OEM parts.
The reason for higher quality than OEM is the research conducted by the CAPA team and they strive hard to help design the part with more improvements to get more durability and higher performance.
Why is CAPA required?
Consumers are not bound by any authority to use CAPA-certified parts in the United States, but it may be required for insurance purposes. In some US states, there is a rule in which the law requires insurance companies to keep informed their policyholders about the parts which are being used for repairs either after-market or OEM parts.
In these cases, the use of CAPA-certified parts helps insurers to assure their policyholders that the aftermarket parts they used have met certain standards.
However, not all parts need to be CAPA certified, some parts may be certified by other organizations or either not certified at all due to the reason that a few parts may only be available be with the manufacturer of the vehicle and may not be available aftermarket.
What parts CAPA can certify?
CAPA-certified auto parts can include everything from body panels and lights to AC Condensers and other safety components. These parts after getting the certification seal are being sold by aftermarket auto parts vendors and can be used to repair vehicles after accidents or during routine general maintenance.
What is the CAPA certification process?
The CAPA follows a comprehensive process to certify any part by covering all aspects of a part’s quality and performance.
At first, the manufacturers submit parts to CAPA for testing and evaluation. After that CAPA conducts a systematic review of the part’s design, materials used, and real-time performance, looking for any potential safety hazards or design weaknesses.
If the part passes these initial evaluations, it is then subjected to a series of various other tests to determine its strength, durability, and performance. Once the parts complete the process only then it is sealed and certified for use.
How many CAPA standards are there?
Following is the list of CAPA standards, most of them are self-explanatory with their names.
CAPA 101—Standard for Metal Parts
CAPA 201—Standard for Plastic Parts
CAPA 202—Standard for Nonwoven Fabric Parts
CAPA 301—Standard for Lighting
CAPA 401–Standard for Attachment Parts
CAPA 402–Standard for Front Support Parts
CAPA 501—Standard for Bumper Parts
CAPA 601—Standard for Radiator Parts
CAPA 602—Standard for AC Condensers
CAPA 701—Standard for Mirrors
CAPA 702—Standard for Cameras
CAPA 703—Standard for Automotive Sensors
CAPA 801—Standard for Automotive Glass
CAPA 901–Standard for Replica Wheels
By going through the above list you can easily have an idea of the vast variety of parts certification which is being done by CAPA.
How to distinguish CAPA certified part from other parts?
All CAPA-certified parts have a special label sticker attached to the part to keep the consumers informed about the manufacturer of that part, its part number, and the date of manufacture. Through this information, the consumer can easily identify the exact replacement part they need for their vehicle.
Advantages of CAPA certified auto parts:
Quality assurance: CAPA certification ensures that the auto parts have undergone a series of comprehensive testing and have been verified to meet OEM quality and safety standards to provide customers with confidence that the parts will perform as expected.
Fit and compatibility: CAPA certification also ensures that the parts will fit correctly and integrate well with other vehicle components, reducing the risk of issues with performance, safety, or appearance.
Warranty and insurance coverage: Some warranties and insurance policies may require the use of CAPA-certified parts. By using these parts, customers can ensure that they meet the requirements and are eligible for coverage in case of issues.
Competitive pricing: CAPA-certified parts are typically priced competitively with non-certified aftermarket parts, making them a cost-effective option for customers who want the quality and safety assurance of OEM parts.
Disadvantages of CAPA certified auto parts:
Limited availability: Although CAPA has a wide variety of certified auto parts, not all the auto parts are available in CAPA-certified versions. This may limit the options available to customers, especially for older or less common vehicles.
Higher cost: CAPA-certified parts may be competitively more expensive than non-certified aftermarket parts. However, this cost may be compensated by the benefits of quality assurance and compatibility.
OEM part availability: In some cases, OEM parts may be the only option available for certain repairs, and CAPA-certified parts may not be an option.
Limited third-party certification: CAPA is not the only organization that certifies auto parts, few other organizations are also doing the certification of automotive parts, but they don’t have a vast category of certified parts and the consumers need to do their research and choose the parts according to their need.
Conclusion
CAPA is a very useful organization in the automotive industry, providing consumers with a way to identify quality replacement parts for their vehicles to ensure safety.
A consumer who installs the CAPA-certified parts has peace of mind that the probability of vehicle breakdown will be minimal because CAPA has a most comprehensive certification process which only approves the best quality parts and issued their certificate for that part.