If you go back 20 or 30 years ago you find that the world of selling car parts was fairly simple. Everyone was using the same technology and, in many cases, they were also using the same parts. Of course each manufacturer had their own engineering methods that created the differences in the cars but in many cases you could become very confused by all of the different car models that looked exactly alike. It was no coincidence that some models resembled others as they were all using the same basic technology. As automobile technology advanced manufacturers soon started to create models that did not resemble one another. The influence of the foreign auto makers caused American auto makers to become more creative to have their models stand out. As models became more identifiable they also required a lot more parts. Suddenly the new car part no longer fit four or five different models. There still is the occasional new car part that is somewhat universal but most manufacturers decided that the new car part for their models was going to be unique to their models. Not only did this help with creating separate identities, it also helped with the bottom line. If the newest Chevy required a different new car part than the newest Ford, then suddenly more parts needed to be made. More manufacturers started creating what they called dealer only parts which means that you could not run down to your local auto part store and get that new car part. You had to go to the nearest dealer and pay a lot more for the new car part than you would if it was available as a generic. Now the new car part market is a money making machine for manufacturers and the consumer winds up paying more in the end.
Anything for the Almighty Dollar In the old days it was easy to get a new car part. It was uncommon for a part to be only available through the dealer as most vehicles used standard and common parts. But as the manufacturers started to really customize their new models they also came out with a plan to make more money on the new car parts people would need. Now more parts are dealer only and even parts you can buy in a auto part store can be very specific to the model of your vehicle. It is all just another way to make sure that you are paying as much as possible to keep your vehicle on the road.