Finally looking to fix damage the Mrs. has done (she drives Maxeen no more)Looking to make a few purchases and came across some terminology Im not familiar with. There appears to be 3 main variations on price that depend on whether the part is:

Raw
Primed
CAPA certified.

What does this mean exactly? Is it safe to cut corners by purchasing a part RAW as opposed to primed? How useful/beneficial is the CAPA certification? Depending on the part, the price difference between these options can be quite a lot. I don't plan on painting or even installing any of this myself, so Im thinking that purchasing everything RAW should be fine.

Input apprecaited.

 

Raw parts will have no primer on them. (an extra step for you or the body shop)

Primed parts should have a coat of primer applied already so you can just paint them right away.

CAPA Certified parts are certified for fit and quality.
http://www.capacertified.org/overview.asp

Non-certified parts may not line up correctly when installed.

 

Thanks JP. Info appreciated!

Capitone

 

I'm actually in the autoparts business.
For the prices of primed vs. unprimed (raw) it's worth it to just get primed... LESS stuff for the body shop to mess up. As for CAPA certified...It's VERY strict. It has to fit perfectly on the car otherwise it does not pass. now don't get me wrong on the non certified parts...a lot of them fit very well. If you were more local I would tell you to stop by the warehouse and pick up some stuff. Just sold a fender liner for a 5th gen to someone local.

YOu can try www.rockauto.com ... they'll probably have yuor stuff.. who knows..the order might come here as we are one of their suppliers.
Good luck!

 

Hey man, thanks for your input. I'll give that site look see.

Capitone

 

good info, didn't know about that

 

A part never comes "raw". There's always a factory "E" coat on it or it will rust before it ever leaves the warehouse. The only part that may come "raw" is a cheap aftermarket bumper cover. Stay clear away from that garbage.

CAPA certified is a quality aftermarket part.