Find the best way to differentiate between the real and counterfeit car parts

When we mention the term “counterfeit”, you all literally know that it is not good and can harm you. While some owners were fooled to use the fake parts by the repair shop, others are willing to use it in order to reduce the cost. Let’s take a look at some information about counterfeit car parts.

People will be attracted by shiny but fake car parts

The origin of fake car parts comes from the need for replacement of the unfixable parts of the cars. To satisfy their needs, some repair shops all over the world would gather the remaining parts of outdated cars or demolished ones and then, they clean and polish them to make it look brand new. The counterfeit-making process focuses on the outward rather than the quality. So now, replica owns the look of authentic components despite the fact that those are extremely dysfunctional and dangerous for the consumers. In the long term, these fake components can seriously threaten your life once they begin to show their worst qualities. 

This article will provide you the necessary knowledge of how to differentiate them and the real risks of fake car parts.

1. The unaware risk of counterfeit car part

If you have tried to cut cost by using a counterfeit product, you know it so well that a fake one could not last long. The same goes for counterfeit car products. Moreover, it can suddenly break down when you least expect. Imagine you are traveling alone in a car in the middle of the night. There is no source of light except your headlamps. You just keep on driving but all of sudden, your headlamps are burned off, and what in front of you is a truck coming from the opposite direction. You all know the consequence. So, first thing first, counterfeit car parts can put your life at risk in a nick of time.

Replacing your car component with a fake one could impose a serious risk on your safety

That is just a tip of the iceberg, in some countries, the amount of counterfeit car parts makes up to 45% of the car part market, especially in Middle East countries. This issue has led to two main problems: the first one - safety reason -  is mentioned above. And the other problem, which is more implicit and far-reaching, is unemployment. In 2017, WTO estimated that more than 750.000 workers were fired from their jobs because of the lack of real customers which is affected by the blossom of fake products.   

Moreover, each legit manufacturer must follow the environmental laws, which means that from the beginning to the final step, pollutants or any substance that could harm the environment must be minimalized. This law doesn’t apply for those manufacturers who illegally produce the fake parts. In other words, the more counterfeit car parts produced, the dirtier the environment is.   

And the last and astonishing risk is that fake car parts are not cheap like you all think. Yes, we all know it was cheap when you first bought it. But in future, you will suffer from the pain of expenses when you have to pay a lot of money to repair the fake parts and possibly, replace it with a genuine one. So, the cost of repair and genuine parts will make you spend two or three times the money you spent on the counterfeit part. 

There are three serious consequences of using counterfeit car parts. The risks always outweigh the benefits. 

2. How to differentiate fake car parts and genuine car parts

Of course, some sneaky crooks try really hard to make counterfeit car parts so they can get a good amount of money from them. Therefore, you must always be a smart customer and carefully check the products you bought. There are 2 ways to do it.

Check the package

Any customer in the world must always check the package to know if the product is either real or fake. By that mean, if you buy a car part that comes with a package, you need to check it very thoroughly. Make sure that you have checked these details:

1. The title: If the title is misspelt, you should immediately put it away.

2. Unclear Instruction: Crooks sometimes are just cleaner, they don’t know much about mechanics. You need to read through the instruction before buying it.

3. The “Made in”: This detail requires you to know a little about your products. If they aren’t made from the supposed countries, you need to consider or ask the employees first.

4. Labels: The real car parts always have labels on them. You need to check these labels. When the fake ones also have labels.

5. The price: Of course, counterfeit car parts have an extremely low price. 

6. The package: Usually, the manufacturers inform about the changed cover. If the product has an uncommon package, you should buy it right away.

The package of car parts can be an essential way to check them.

In case the car part you bought isn’t covered in a package, you will need to check the identification with the real one. Crooks seem to concentrate on replaceable parts like headlights, oil filters, etc. All you need to do is to take out that part of your car to have them compared. You will need to compare these based on some criteria: The weight, the material, the component’s quality and colours. 

Some parts that crook usually focus on making fake ones.

If you don’t think you can’t get the job done, feel free to ask an expert to do it for you.  

Check the Certificate of Authenticity (COA)

In case you’re sure that your eyes can’t fully distinguish the fake and real parts, you need to check for the COA. This is the sticker that holds its own security code and ID. Moreover, this COA sticker will definitely certify the origin of the car parts whether they are from manufacturers or not. This sticker can’t even be duplicated. So, this method is the best way to differentiate between the real car parts and the counterfeit ones. 

Although there are a lot of efforts out there try to eliminate this problem, counterfeit car parts are like funguses. The most effective way for the owners to avoid buying fake parts are: Have sufficient knowledge of car parts and find a trustworthy repair shop.

Read more tips and guides from IndianAuto

• Aftermarket Parts versus OEM Parts: which is the best way to go?