The Hazards Of Counterfeit Automobile Parts
By Matt Keegan


What exactly is a fake part? Is it an inferior branded item or something completely different? Counterfeiters are ‘wise’ in that they do not create and market a low cost alternative brand, instead they copy well known existing brands. The Jeep parts you purchase may come in a package that is nearly identical to the one marketed by DaimlerChrysler, but only the package is the same: the product you are purchasing is of an inferior quality [not equaling manufacturer specifications] that can damage your car. Reports about counterfeit brake pads have circulated for years; deaths attributed to accidents involving fake parts have been recorded.

According to the Department of Commerce, the US economy loses approximately $200 billion a year from the counterfeiting of trademarked consumer products and as many as 210,000 jobs have been lost. Worldwide, it is estimated that as much as 9% of the global economy is based on trafficked counterfeit goods, many of these items being auto parts. In Germany, fake VW parts as well as counterfeit BMW parts have surfaced compromising the quality and safety of the two brands.

So, what products are especially prone to being copied? Unfortunately, virtually everything. The following, are some of the items reported by the original equipment manufacturers to be frequent targets of counterfeiting and the “ingredients” they contain:

Brake pads containing sawdust

Fire extinguishers filled with flour

Transmission fluid laced