Faked/Replica Tom's parts?
 

Hey I was just wondering if any of you guys have ever come across any fake Tom's parts? I am wondering because someone on my local buy and sell is selling a bunch of "new" Tom's parts for way below retail including taillights which retail for about 800 where I live for 300 as well as the full rear and front strut tower bracing which retails for about like 700ish where I live but are selling for 250.

Of course if these are real I'd love to jump on the good deal but I'm wary of them being fakes or rip offs, anyone know anything?

To add to my suspicions they are also selling a bunch of other new Tom's parts, some OEM Lexus parts and clothing and some designer handbags and purses for what I imagine is way below retail pricing.

They have told me they used to be a Tom's supplier and this is the last of there stock, still unsure anyone have any ideas? All the photos they have posted are just the Tom's product photos.


EDIT: I ended up finding identical products on alibaba for like 30-90 dollars so i did not even bother to go look at the parts in question

If anything is ever made there is somebody that makes a cheap knockoff. It is a fact of life.
Problem is that you may never know until you get it. Even then it may be impossible to tell.
If he is just selling used parts he took off his car then they very well could be real and he just wants rid of them.
If claiming new then I would be wary.

true story

I've never run across fake Tom's and I've got their tail lights and side skirts.
That said, Mr Coat is right, and they're probably out there. Ask for close up pics to maybe get a hint.

Depo has been making them for years, starting with the clear lens and black versions.

Well, you know the old saying “if it sounds too good to be true....”

....I think in the online marketplace era this is doubly poignant.

ymmv
:cheers:

the 'tom's' tail lights are actually manufactured by depo, for tom's. for a few years, i actively searched for a set without the tom's laser etching...

As has been mentioned, Tom's parts are manufactured by Depo. Mine actually arrived in a Depo box.

Depo is one of the go-to suppliers for cheap replacement parts that body shops use in place of OEM. A lot of people consider Depo parts to be "fake" since body shops will sometimes charge you or your insurance company for OEM and substitute Depo to make more money. They seem to be generally okay, although I've read that they have more QA issues than genuine OEM.

So with Depo already being the fake parts supplier, and Depo being the manufacturer for Tom's, I wouldn't expect to see many fake Tom's parts. If anybody were going to fake them, it would be Depo. They would just run the same parts without the Tom's stickers and sell them out the other door of the factory.

I would try to test the tail lights before buying. They seem to have a problem with LEDs failing, so these "new" parts may be returns.

um, depo is NOT just an aftermarket/fake parts supplier. they do manufacture housings for OEMs in some cases.

depo does have a separate division that does aftermarket housings for other vehicles...

this is like saying "because toyota makes the camry, all their vehicles are tan, 4-door, bland econo-boxes"

So sometimes they supply real parts, and sometimes they supply fake parts.

It's hard to imagine that anybody else would fake Tom's parts, when Depo has all the necessary experience to fake them themselves.

Let me expand on my experience with Tom's.

I bought mine brand new in the box. I didn't realize at the time that they were manufactured by Depo until they showed up in a Depo box.

Within weeks the black interior plastic started melting away from the top, creating a hole on each side that allows light to escape.

Within a year the first LED stopped working. Four years later I have several dead LEDs.

I expect to replace the entire housings within the next year. I'll probably put them on the marketplace for $20 in case anybody wants them for parts to fix their own shitty Tom's lights.

While they looked fantastic when new, the quality of this shit is about what I would expect from cheap knock-off Depo lights. The problem is that you pay a premium for the Tom's name that isn't justified by the quality.

So again, why the hell would anybody fake Tom's tails when the original quality is shitty and cheap already? Knock-offs from Alibaba may actually be better quality than the "originals."