Has anyone purchased parts from Olathe Toyota? They list the OEM radiator for my 2000 SR5 for $122 +shipping. After researching all the aftermarket radiator options, I still prefer to go with OEM, as my original has lasted 17 years and 183,000 miles, and this price is as good as any of the aftermarket units.

 

OEM might mean what you think, and, again, it might not.

There is a clever cheap parts supplier that calls itself 'OEM Parts', and it supplies mostly cheap chinese slave labor goods. Watch out!

Ask if what you are buying is a Genuine Toyota spare part, if it is ,you should be OK.

 

In this case, I think mt4runner doesn't need to worry about that because Olathe Toyota is a Toyota dealership and will sell real Original Equipment Manufacturer parts if it comes straight from the Toyota parts catalog.
I have found several parts listed as OEM on independent parts websites and they are only from the cheap company mentioned above. It is always to check anyway.

I do not have any experience with Olathe Toyota.

Good luck!

 

That sounds like what I paid for mine. Check out Toyota of Dallas and compare to their price. That's where I've ordered all my parts from. They give a good discount.

 

I don't think the "OEM" Rad is any better than most aftermarket OEM equivalent Rads, I don't think Toyota builds rads, and the original one supplied failed due to corrosion of the aluminum fitting inside the rad so I don't think its any better than aftermarket, you just need to replace the rad every 10-15 years or 200,000km, or if your in warm climate areas install a trans cooler and never worry about it again.

 

Correct. Toyota assembles vehicles, it basically builds no parts. What it does is pick parts builders who make products which are both up to their standards and can produce them at the right price. All auto makers do this, but Toyota and some others seem to have higher standards, so you can typically trust their OEM choices. So if you happen to know which "aftermarket" company makes any given OEM part, you can often buy it cheaper from them. Some people will argue that Toyota has that aftermarket company produce specific products for them, different than the rest of what they make, even for the same vehicle, in order for it to be up to OEM standards. I can't say for sure but I doubt it. If "brand X" makes the OEM radiators, and you buy a 2000 Toyota Tacoma listed radiator directly from them, I'm guessing it's the same exact radiator you'll get from Toyota.

I once bought an "aftermarket" ignition module from NAPA, stamped with Aisin, just like my original.

For me, with the discount, I've been able to find parts from online Toyota dealerships that are so close to aftermarket prices, without having to research who makes the OEM parts, that I just go with the dealership. There are a few cases of companies that make better-than-OEM products. But with Toyota, it's so rare that's it's typically not worth trying to improve on OEM.

 

Thanks for all the replies, guys. Looks like it'll be OEM for my Runner.