I see the term OEM used alot. What does it stand for?

Thanks in advance

 

Original Equipment Manufacturer

 

In this case...MINI

 

LOL Wikipedia!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Origina...t_manufacturer

 

Oh ok, I was starting to think OEM was "On Each Mini" for a second. But thanks for the reply!

 

Hehe... and for some people (like yours truly), OEM are words to live by. There's a reason my MINI is named "Mr. OEM".

 

Often, but not always. For example, Garmin is the OEM for the new portable NAV units, Ronal is the OEM for most if not all of the stock MINI wheels, and the "Sport Link" mounting attachment and accessories are made by Mini Fini, even though MINI licensed them, made them available in the configurator, and went so far as to give it a MINI part number. And of course, the "stock" tires aren't made by MINI, so the OEM is Dunlop/Pirelli/etecetera.

Basically, "OEM" just means that the part is made by the same company and to the same specifications as the "original" part.

If you ever work with classic cars, there's another term you see a lot - "NOS". That means "New Old Stock", and describes an OEM part that's been sitting on a shelf unused for many years, usually long after the part stopped being produced by the OEM. As an example, I bought a set of headlamps and housings for my old Mercedes that were 35 years old, but had never been installed or even unpacked. "NOS" parts are kind of the holy grail of a restoration, because even though they're essentially brand-new, they're guaranteed to fit and work like the original parts because they *are* the original parts.

 

Over Energetic Motorer