What does all this mean? OEM BMW radiator Behr OE Nissens Original Equipment
We get a lot of questions about this and it seems that many don't know what OEM Radiator means? Well OEM means Original Equipment Manufacturer. In the case of radiators for Mercedes, BMW and Audi; Behr along with Valeo and L&R (Langerer & Reich now owned by Modine) are the main OEM's and their parts are OE (Orignal Equipment) when the cars are assembled.
Does this mean that Behr is the OEM for all BMW models? No, in fact for the popular E46 3 series (323i, 325i, 328i & 330i), L&R is the OEM radiator supplier. In this case, Behr has made two aftermarket versions of the E46; one for manual and the other for automatic transmissions, when the original radiator is the same for both, changing only the plugs, that have their own part numbers and are sold separately. Behr has also been left out on many of newer Mercedes, with Valeo taking over. However it must be said, that the quality of Behr's radiators are always second to none, due to their excellent engineering and quality control.
How about Nissens? Well Nissens is an aftermarket only brand and is not an OEM for any of the major European car makers. Some have the misguided notion that Nissens is OEM for Volvo; but it is not.