Cars, trucks, and other vehicles that we depend on for daily transportation are like people. They also need care and maintenance, just as much as humans need to go the doctor for routine check ups. If you just drive your auto, truck or performance car around and neglect to maintain it, then you risk a possible major breakdown at the worst possible time. With the alarming rise in gas prices at pumps, you're probably filling up gas at the nearby self serve/convenience store outlet (therefore neglecting to check such critical elements as engine oil level, transmission oil level, tire pressure, and brake fluid level). Such repairs will require auto parts, truck parts, and for owners of high horsepower cars, performance car parts. Even if you care and maintain your car, you will still need auto parts, commonly referred to as OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) parts. An OEM of vehicle parts is a company that has a special relationship with vehicle manufacturers. OEMs are manufacturers who resell another company's product under their own name and branding. While an OEM is similar to a VAR (Value Added Reseller), it refers specifically to the act of a company rebranding a product to its own name and offering its own warranty, support and licensing of the product. OEMs are not the original manufacturers. They are the customizers. There are many companies that sell replacement as well as performance parts for cars, trucks and other vehicles, including NAPA, Checkers, and of course, JC Whitney, perhaps the largest supplier of parts for all sorts of vehicles. Such parts can be purchased at your local auto parts store or even online through catalogs. Auto parts include brakes, drivetrains, steering and suspension components, exhaust systems, filters (i.e. air, oil, transmission), sensors/relays, gaskets, pumps, windshield wipers, gauges, and tires/rims. Truck parts include bed accessories, covers, bumpers, cargo racks, fender flares, grilles, interior accessories, mud flaps, running boards, sunroofs, and tail gates. You can also buy automotive manuals that detail how to install car parts (OEM), truck parts, and performance car parts. These days, after market parts for cars, trucks, and other vehicles are popular. After market parts are parts that function as comparable replacement parts, as well as specialized accessories – such as fancy rims (for tires), hood ornaments, hood pins, rear end spoilers, special gas/brake chrome pedals, special instrument panel gauges, body decals, glass tinting kits, and engine manifolds.