Counterfeit Spark Plugs
 

Picked this off of a motorcycle forum and wanted to share.
watch the YouTube vid.
I had no idea this was going on.


https://autoweek.com/article/diy/bew...might-be-fakes

The world we live in is full of fake stuff. Like Gillette Razors...

"One report estimates that 80% of Gillette razor blades sold on eBay are counterfeit. Trying to determine authenticity from a stock (advertising) photo on eBay is impossible, and eBay seller ratings are not an indication of authenticity. Buying from a seller with positive feedback is no guarantee for receiving real Fusion razor blades."

I work for a company that produces products here in the USA. A few of our products are copied overseas. We estimate that there are 5 to 10 times more fake products than what we have produced. Our products are patented. We have a counterfeit/legal division that just tries to stop (slow) the amount that gets inside USA. (and a few other places like the EU, our patents are registered there too)


There are so many unauthorized copies of our products, that fans of our authentic products have even made up a name for the fake ones! LOL!

Great...I just replaced my plugs with iridiums I bought on Amazon...

It's a good thing that USA customs has laws that protect owners patents, intellectual property, brand, etc. Can't sell stuff like fake Gucci handbags with a fake logos. Though lots of stuff definitely gets through.

...If you think that PARMIGGIANO REGGIANO is produced only within two area towns in Italy since XII Century and all over the world today you can buy "Parmesan" built in Iowa or N_Dakota...and all customers are happy to eat a low cost cheese named Parmesan thinking it is real. (30 months aged costs $22/25 per Kg in Italy).
Counterfeit system involves all of us. Only an accurate buying process can help to protect.

No, not all customers are happy with USA made "parmesan" cheese; much of it has a wood byproduct added.

There are discerning customers left in the world, albeit not many.

I went back and checked the NGK laser platinum plugs I bought off Amazon a few years ago for my GTI (was about to put them in this week.)

Other than the inner packaging using the brown cylindrical cardboard holders for the plugs, everything else seemed fine. The outer packaging seemed high quality and had the proper "EAC" logo. The font on the "R" on the individual packaging matches. The quality of the spark plugs look fine. Threads are clean. I can see the laser weld on the tip and the spot of platinum on the ground. Can see some talcum powder on the white porcelain portion where the seal is.

I'm going to go ahead and throw these in. If these are fakes, someone went to a lot of expense to make them look identical to the real ones.

Beauty is only surface deep. If they want them to look authentic, they'll accomplish that. They will net far more money with good looking fakes than obvious ones. They probably are not fakes though, I don't feel that " fake spark plugs" would be very common at all.

at the end of the day, you pay extra for better supply chain management.

back in 2010 Newegg sold a large batch of Intel CPUs that were fake. Fake how so? blank instruction booklets, tin foil, a picture of a CPU fan (instead of the fan itself in the box). The only reason why it got past QC is because someone in the supply chain switched it out for similar boxes with the exact weight, and bogus serial numbers.

So having near-perfect fake product isn't so much about someone going through the trouble, it just means someone in the production or distribution chain has access to the IP/specs it takes to make these products. End users (especially DIY end users) often don't know better, nor do average mechanics that value time over quality.

so like always, the best way to protect myself is to just pony up the full price from a licensed reseller.

What's interesting is the NGK spark plugs I got off Amazon are so close to the originals that I can't tell if they're fake or not, even with all the various articles and guides showing how to spot fake NGK plugs. It'd be as if the fake Intel CPUs in the example above had fully accurate instruction booklets, actual fans in the boxes with correct markings, perfectly matching font, etc.

The reason I'm going to put these in (besides the fact that I'm beyond the return period :D) is I actually think these are real NGKs. These plugs get the small details right that a counterfeiter probably wouldn't bother with (like the laser-welded tip, platinum spot on the ground, overall quality of construction and materials). It doesn't have any of the telltale signs of being a counterfeit that are seen in the articles/guides.

As an update to this, I installed the spark plugs today. So far so good. Plugs went in fine. Did a bunch of redline pulls to 70 mph and the engine felt smooth - no signs of any misfires or CELs.

I'm convinced these are genuine NGKs even though I got them off Amazon. I'll update later if I encounter any issues.

Nothing like good ol oem parts to keep us out of trouble

I used to work at WallyWorld.com the one that rivaled Amazon almost.

Amazon, eBay and WM all sell fake parts as long as they have third party vendors available on the site. Home Depot and some autoparts store started selling third party vendors too to help fill in gaps in inventory.

Basically screwed everywhere to be honest.