Oil filters are often the object of fakery.
COLOGNE: You may think you have found a bargain online when you stumble upon that spare part you desperately need for half the normal retail price.
Unfortunately, when things seem to be too good to be true, this is indeed usually the case with car parts.
Imitation spare car parts that try to mimic official versions are increasingly common online, and unwitting motorists that purchase the items can be making a life-threatening decision.
These supposed bargains can often turn out to be a very dangerous purchase. So how can car owners protect themselves from such bad quality fakes?
The problem is that, while the spare parts in question are often of much poorer quality to the originals, they look almost identical.
Parts that are most commonly forged include the V-belt, bulbs, brake pads, brake discs and oil, fuel and air filters.
Counterfeiters also make sure that packaging, test marks and security holograms are also identical to the original, says Thomas Fischer, member of the board of the German independent spare parts market (Vrei), representing the interests of auto parts manufacturers.
Especially with safety-related components such as brakes or steering, the inferior materials used in production can fail under certain circumstances, leading to accidents and even injuries.
"If a brake pad suddenly fails to brake properly, it can be life-threatening," says Fischer.
He advises consumers to critically compare prices to avoid fakes. "If spare parts on the Internet are clearly too cheap, it's time to get suspicious."
The easiest way to protect yourself, according to Fischer, is to leave ordering a new part to a mechanic, and not to do you own hobby repair work on a budget.
Thomas Caasmann of the German testing organization GTU agrees, advising motorists to buy parts from the vehicle manufacturer or from the original parts supplier and not from unknown Internet shops.
He sees rims, parts for brakes and chassis as well as electronic components as the most dangerous counterfeit items, urging extreme caution when confronted with a "bargain" car part.
"If a replacement part is offered at extremely low prices, either the seller does not know what it's worth. Or it is stolen goods. Or fake. Then the alarm bells have to start," he says.
Customers should compare the supposed original part with the real original also for any obvious visual differences.
Also, it is important to remember that each accessory must have a valid general operating permit (ABE) or a parts certificate that proves it has been subject to a prescribed test procedure and been produced in a quality-controlled environment.
Likewise, in a service test, inspectors would usually recognize badly-made fake parts and would deem the vehicle in question as unfit to drive.
