The moment a collision estimate lands in your inbox or gets handed across the counter, most people scan straight to the bottom line. That is understandable. But a handful of abbreviations in the parts column, easy to miss and almost never explained, carry real weight. They tell you whether your car is being put back with factory-fresh parts, with salvaged pieces pulled from a wrecked vehicle, or with aftermarket copies made by a company that has never built your car. "Like Kind and Quality" and its shorthand, LKQ, is one of the most consequential of those phrases, and it is also one of the most consistently misunderstood.

What "Like Kind and Quality" actually means

"Like kind and quality" is an insurance industry phrase that describes a replacement part sourced to match the original in quality and condition, not necessarily identical in origin. In the context of a collision estimate, when a line item carries the designation "like kind and quality" or the abbreviation LKQ, it almost always means the insurer has specified a used, salvaged OEM part taken from another vehicle, typically the same make, model, and year or newer, with comparable mileage and condition.

Here is a nuance worth knowing: used parts sourced this way are still technically OEM parts. They were made by the manufacturer and installed on a vehicle just like yours. The difference from a new OEM part is that they come with wear, unknown repair history, and no factory warranty. Whether that trade-off is acceptable depends on the part, its role in the vehicle, and the condition of the salvage unit it came from.

There is also a naming coincidence that creates confusion. LKQ Corporation is a large national parts supplier and distributor. When someone says "LKQ parts," they might mean parts sold through that company, which can include new aftermarket parts as well as recycled ones. When a collision estimate says "LKQ," however, it is using the industry abbreviation for "like kind and quality," meaning used salvage, not necessarily a product from LKQ Corp specifically.

Why the phrase shows up on estimates

Insurers use "like kind and quality" language because it frames the obligation in terms of condition and function rather than source. An insurer's contractual duty is generally to restore your vehicle to its pre-loss condition, not to replace every damaged part with a brand-new factory piece. Using a used OEM part in similar condition can satisfy that obligation at lower cost. The term gives adjusters a documented basis for specifying salvage parts on an estimate rather than new OEM or new aftermarket alternatives.

This matters practically because it tells you the insurer's default plan for that line item. If you do not ask questions, that default plan proceeds. If you do ask, you have more options than the estimate shows, and a certified shop can help you work through them.

Decoding the abbreviations on your estimate

Collision estimates use a small set of shorthand codes to identify part type. Most shops and insurers use the same conventions, though formatting varies. The table below translates the five you are most likely to see.

Most estimates will use one of these codes on every parts line. If a line item has no code or is labeled simply as "new," that almost always means a new OEM part. If you cannot find a label, ask the shop to clarify before you sign.

How to read your estimate line by line

An estimate is a structured document, and once you know how it is organized it becomes much easier to read with confidence. Here is the basic flow.

The parts column tells the story

Each line in the parts section of your estimate lists the part name, a part number, the part type code (OEM, A/M, RECY, RECOND, or LKQ), the price, and a labor time. The type code is what tells you where that part is coming from. Run down the parts column looking only at the type codes and you can quickly see the mix the insurer has proposed: how many new OEM parts, how many aftermarket pieces, and how many recycled or reconditioned components.

Structural parts, like a frame rail or a unibody section, should virtually always show OEM. A cosmetic trim piece on an older car with no sensors might reasonably show RECY or A/M. The parts where the choice matters most are those involved in crash energy management, ADAS sensor mounting, and panel alignment.

Supplements change the picture

The original estimate is almost never the final word. Shops routinely submit supplements, additional charges for damage found once a panel is removed or a part is ordered. Supplements can also be where parts type changes appear. If the initial estimate showed A/M on a part but the aftermarket piece does not fit correctly, a supplement may upgrade it to OEM. Watching the supplement process is one of the concrete ways a certified shop adds value, because a well-documented supplement case is far more persuasive than an informal request. See our related post on whether insurance can force aftermarket parts for the full picture on that negotiation.

What California law says about parts disclosure

California has some of the clearer consumer protections in the country on this topic, and knowing them puts you in a much stronger position when you read your estimate.

The Consumer Bill of Rights

California's Auto Body Repair Consumer Bill of Rights (Cal. Code Regs. tit. 10, section 2695.85) gives every vehicle owner specific rights when dealing with an insurance-covered collision repair. Three of those rights bear directly on parts:

• You choose the shop. Your insurer cannot require you to use a specific repair facility. The choice is yours, and no amount of steering changes that.
• The estimate must identify every part. Every line must label parts as new, used, aftermarket, reconditioned, or rebuilt. You are entitled to this information before you authorize the repair.
• You can get an independent estimate. Even if you are filing an insurance claim, you have the right to seek an estimate from any registered shop of your choosing.

The written disclosure requirement for non-OEM parts

When an insurer wants to specify non-OEM aftermarket crash parts on your vehicle, California Business and Professions Code Section 9875 requires a written disclosure attached to your estimate, in type no smaller than 10 points, stating that the repair will use parts from a source other than your vehicle's manufacturer and that any warranty on those parts comes from the parts maker, not from the automaker. This is not optional language. If your estimate specifies A/M crash parts without that disclosure, the shop or insurer is not in compliance with California law.

What you can ask for, and how a certified shop helps you ask

The most important thing to understand is that the estimate is a proposal, not a final answer. Parts choices can change when the right documentation backs the request. Here are the questions worth raising.

Ask about structural and sensor-critical parts first

Not all parts carry the same risk. For body panels that are purely cosmetic and hold no sensors, a quality recycled OEM part or a properly warranted aftermarket piece may be entirely reasonable, and it is fair to acknowledge that. The concern rises sharply when a part:

• Manages crash energy, including the bumper reinforcement bar, energy absorber, frame rails, or unibody sections
• Positions a radar, camera, or parking sensor, meaning many bumper covers and their brackets on modern vehicles
• Is part of a safety system, such as a curtain airbag housing or a seat structure

For those parts, ask the shop to document the manufacturer's repair procedure and use that documentation to request genuine OEM parts from the insurer. Our related guides on OEM vs. aftermarket vs. used parts and how LKQ used parts work cover the safety case for each category in more depth.

What a certified shop can do that an uncertified one cannot

Being fully certified matters here in a specific, practical way. An I-CAR Gold Class and OEM-certified shop has documented access to the factory repair procedures for the vehicles it services. Those procedures often specify that certain repairs require new OEM parts, or that particular calibration steps must follow a replacement. That documentation gives the shop standing to go back to the adjuster and say: the manufacturer's procedure requires this part to be OEM, here is the procedure, here is why a substitute deviates from the factory standard. A written case with the procedure attached gets approved far more often than a verbal request with nothing behind it. We pursue those approvals and win them regularly, though the outcome varies by claim, adjuster, and insurer.

The estimate is a proposal, not a final answer. Parts choices can change when the right documentation backs the request.

The "like kind and quality" used-part case

Used OEM parts are sometimes the right answer. A door shell on an older vehicle, a non-structural trim piece, a wheel from a clean salvage unit, these can be perfectly sound choices when the part is inspected and confirmed to be in matching condition. The problem is when LKQ is specified for parts that carry safety responsibility, or when nobody actually verifies that the salvage piece meets the quality standard the label implies. A good shop inspects every recycled part before it goes on the car and turns it back when it does not pass.

The insurer pays, but does not dictate

When your insurer pays for a collision repair, it is fulfilling a contractual obligation to restore your vehicle to its pre-loss condition. Paying the bill does not give the insurer authority to bypass your legal rights or the manufacturer's repair requirements. The California Department of Insurance confirms that you have the right to choose your own shop and that the estimate must disclose all part types. When you choose a shop outside the insurer's preferred network, the insurer must still pay a reasonable amount for the repair.

If your estimate comes back heavy with A/M and LKQ designations on parts that matter for safety, you do not have to accept that silently. You can ask why, request documentation, and ask the shop to advocate for genuine OEM parts where the manufacturer's procedure supports it. For a deeper look, see our post on whether insurance can force aftermarket parts. For auto body repair and especially bumper repairs involving sensors and radar, certification standing makes that case concrete.