HOUSTON, Aug. 23, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- The Automotive Body Parts Association (ABPA) today blasted Ford Motor Company for a gross misrepresentation of the truth in a video released earlier this month shamelessly attacking the aftermarket auto parts industry.  The ABPA vowed to challenge the company's false assertions by undertaking additional testing of Ford components and making its findings public.

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"Genuine Ford collision replacement parts are the same as those used to manufacture the vehicle," declares an earnest Ford representative appearing in the video dressed in a vibrant red sweater vest.  To underscore the message, those words appear in bold letters on screen.  However, the ABPA has evidence this is false.

During tests conducted by ABPA engineers, front bumper isolators were removed from two 2005-2009 Ford Mustangs and compared with two Ford-branded front bumper isolator service parts purchased from Ford dealers. Examination revealed the Ford service parts, which the company asserts are "the same" as Ford production parts, were approximately one-fourth the weight.  Production parts from the two vehicles weighed 864 and 822 grams respectively, while two genuine Ford collision replacement parts for the exact component were 72 percent lighter at 239 and 233 grams.

"On behalf of the aftermarket industry I want to thank Ford for proving what we have said for years, which is that replacement parts can vary from the original equipment parts installed in production while still providing comparable performance and returning vehicles to pre-crash condition," said ABPA Legislation and Regulation Committee Co-Chair Eileen A. Sottile.  "If that were not the case, then why would Ford's customers receive these replacement parts?"   

"The huge weight discrepancies between production and service parts clearly underscore that the original Ford components that come on its vehicles and those Ford-branded parts sold for collision repair are not 'the same,' as they have claimed," Sottile added.   

The ABPA's engineers are reviewing the recent Ford video, undertaking additional testing and planning to make their technical assessments public.  The ABPA recently released a video illustrating the safety and quality of aftermarket auto parts.

About ABPA

Headquartered in Houston, Automotive Body Parts Association represents manufacturers, distributors and suppliers of independently produced aftermarket body parts.  The membership base consists of more than 150 of the industry's leading companies which operate in approximately 400 separate locations and which supply more than 75 percent of these type parts to the marketplace.

SOURCE Automotive Body Parts Association (ABPA)

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