COLOGNE – Ford Motor Company is a market leader in accident prevention technology but even so it is estimated that across Europe, each of its vehicles will make one visit to a bodyshop every seven years. The good news is Ford can send genuine replacement parts anywhere in Europe, usually within 24 hours, guaranteeing a good-as-new repair with minimum delay.

Every single component in each and every Ford is designed and built to the highest quality standards. So if your car is involved in a crash, it’s important to put the damage right using Ford original parts.

Using genuine Ford replacement parts helps ensure the vehicle will be restored to its original pre-accident condition, protects residual values and has safety benefits, too. That’s why Ford stamps parts such as bumpers, bonnets and tailgates with a Blue Oval logo to prove they are genuine.

John Cooper, operations director of Ford Customer Service Division, says: "There are a lot of companies out there offering non-original replacement parts for our vehicles but the case for specifying Ford parts is overwhelming."

“Our parts are designed to original Ford specifications and manufactured to the precise tolerances on the same production line as the factory-fitted originals. That means they deliver the same quality standard and have the same predictable high levels of performance."

Cooper says using a non-Ford original part can reduce the safety of a vehicle for the driver and other road users, including pedestrians. Ford invests millions, making sure it can meet very stringent safety requirements on pedestrian protection – for good reasons.  Ford tests copy parts and often finds they don’t meet its own standards. And the use of genuine parts and genuine repair techniques will ensure the safety performance of the vehicle is maintained.

"We place highly visible branding on our parts, so people can make sure their vehicles have been repaired to the highest possible standard,” Cooper says.

He adds: “We’re the only company that brands these parts with the Ford logo. After an accident, you wonder if your vehicle will ever look the same again. Well, as long as your repairer uses only our original parts, it will.”

Five reasons for choosing Ford original parts

• Safety – Tests carried out by the independent Motor Industry Repair Association (MIRA) confirm that using non-Ford parts can significantly increase injury risk in an accident situation. The respected UK-based organisation compared the pedestrian protection performance of a Ford Fiesta original bonnet with that of a copy and found the risk of a pedestrian head injury was up to 17 percentage points higher with the non-original part. The report can be found under Pedestrian Protection at www.parts-testing-results.com.´
  
• Availability – Authorised Ford Parts Dealers keep a large selection of collision and mechanical parts on the shelf. If it's not in stock, Ford can deliver that same day or overnight so you won’t have to wait long.
  
• Warranty – Copy parts are not covered by the Ford Parts Warranty.
  
• Fit and Finish – It takes less time to fit Ford original parts because they do fit! All Ford original parts are designed from the original blueprint and CAD data. Because there are no unsightly gaps from poorly fitting parts, resale values are also protected.
  
• Corrosion – non-original parts are not covered by the Ford Corrosion Warranty and can have reduced stone chip resistance.