Don Foreman wrote:
I was surprised to discover that some OEM parts from my Ford dealer
are competitively-priced and markedly superior to aftermarket stuff.
Two examples: batteries and wiper blades. By "competitively priced"
I don't mean cheaper, just in the same ballpark. I have been
particularly surprised by their batteries. The OEM batteries in my
two Contours lasted 8 years -- in Minnesota. They were still working
fine when I replaced them but I figured I had to be on borrowed time
and I'd rather not mess with it when it's well below zero. I have
never had a battery last anywhere near that long.

Just a note on changes in the OE parts chain.
What you buy at a dealership is more and more the same parts your
neighborhood parts store sells. This is especially true of anything in a
ACDelco box. Last I looked, and ACDelco shock is a Gabriel in the box -
and not the same as the OE.
Basically, all OE replacement parts are outsourced to the lowest
bidder. Most car makers are essentially assemblers. The aftermarket
buys from the same people as the OE.

Pertinent to this thread, Anco and Trico have been OE for U.S. cars as
long as I can remember.