04 Trailblazer aftermarket headlight, grille, and bumper cover question.

[flash12]

I hit a deer last night with my 2004 trailblazer EXT. I'm needing both headlamp assemblies, headlamp mounting bracket, grille, and bumper cover w/fog light holes. (I got lucky, it didn't hurt the hood or fenders).

My question is, should I go back with OEM GM stuff or has anybody had good luck with aftermarket parts? I can save quite a bit of money, but don't want to have any issues with fitup etc.

Thanks!

[BRD]

In most States damage resulting from a collision with a deer in the road is eligible for coverage under the "Comprehensive/Theft/Vandalism" part of your auto policy. There is a deductible but it's no-fault in the sense that your insco can't penalize your rate or refuse to renew your policy like when you have to claim on your own "Collision" coverage (i.e., a wreck you caused). If you have insurance, go OEM and a good body shop of YOUR choice. No particular knock here on aftermarket crash parts because some are fine whereas others aren't. And some aftermarket parts nowadays are in fact OEMs as well (e.g., the Aleo light assys on a Saab). But what can happen is you may get into a situation where an aftermarket part won't fit right or won't take primer like it should. If the shop's honest they'll pull it back off and tell you that they'll need to order OEM, so it ends up costing you time. Time = $$$ when you're talking about loss of use of a vehicle. Good luck.