[E93Dude]

Originally Posted by SwedishWoodChopper

If it has the BMW logo on it, then it's a genuine part, its the same exact part as an OEM, but if they remove the BMW logo, it now becomes an OEM part, but the manufacturer can sell it for a lot less, it has everything to do with licensing agreements and nothing to do with part quality, OEM is always the way to go, cheaper, you just won't have a BMW logo on your part, you're paying a huge mark up just to have a tiny logo on your part that you'll never see

You are partially correct, but for the OEM reference. I agree that OE or OEM are the way to go. There are three tiers of parts (taken from FCOEuro website): Genuine, OE an OEM.

Genuine parts are the parts that come branded by the vehicle manufacturer and are the exact same parts you would find at your local dealership. They have the brand logo on them. These parts typically come at a premium cost since they are sold through dealerships with higher overhead expenses.

Original Equipment (OE) are the same as Genuine parts originally supplied to dealerships, except with the dealer logos removed. The manufacturers remove these logos due to licensing agreements so that the parts can be sold outside the dealer network. Because OE parts are sold directly from their respective manufacturer, they can be had for a much lower price, which makes it an excellent value, especially when you consider there is no sacrifice in quality.

Original Equipment Manufacture (OEM) parts are produced by a manufacturer that supplies at least one OE part to a vehicle manufacturer. These are often produced in the same facility that manufacturers OE parts and are held to the same high-quality standards. OEM parts are not originally put on a vehicle from the factory, but the manufacturers adhere to stringent quality controls, and their parts share in the same reputation.

Video explainer: