Quote:
Originally Posted by Tcoat
At work we run into counterfeit parts at least a couple of times a year. We receive all the rotors that are replaced under warranty for evaluation. Since we make them for pickups we see a couple of pairs of ours a year. These are almost damaged by extreme overheating (loaded truck pulling a trailer down a steep hill is almost always included in the failure description) and we may see one set every couple of years with a legit manufacturing issue. Since we end of line gauge and inspect every single part that goes out the door this limited warranty work is what would be expected.
We also see three or four sets of cheap knock offs come in every year. The difference is immediately visible even though some try to copy the OEM ones right down to the pattern of the date code. The problems with them are far more numerus with noise, cracking and even complete separation of the hat and brake plates being rater common. These products are just cheap offshore ones that people put on themselves and when they fail they take it into the dealer and complain!
Those cheap parts that show up are cheap for a reason but some people will never learn that lesson.
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Yeah, I just ordered OEM front rotors for my Solara from my local Toyota dealer for $100 each and the gal at the parts counter affirmed there are counterfeit brake parts out there.
I've been dealing with brake issues for years on this car and I believe it's because the mechanics that I have hired in the past have been using any old aftermarket rotor off the shelf that they just happen to have available at the time. These aftermarket rotors simply are not made to Toyota standards using high-quality alloys. They do not hold up over time and warp when they get hot causing steering wheel shimmy and the related wear and tear that it brings.
If I were to order the OEM rotors from one of the online chain retailers at half the price, I would be more likely to receive counterfeit parts. It's just not worth it to me to have to put up with the problems that this would cause.