Counterfeit vehicle spare parts, which are exact replicas of original products, in the local market is giving vehicle owners a hard time buying spare parts. Motorists are often being victims to dubious traders who sell fake parts to them under the guise that the spare parts are original, according to experts.
With the increasing number of vehicles on the roads, spare parts business has become more lucrative. The Peninsula noted that spare parts are available in different standards in local markets, which include, original and genuine — which are manufactured by the original equipment manufacturer (OEM), and the ‘Tejari’ – non-original products similar to that of OEM but under different brand names. Apart from this, spare parts of varying standards are imported in bulk from neighbouring countries.
“Buying the product from authorised dealers is the only way to ensure genuineness. It is difficult for a consumer to distinguish between original and fake products. Even authorised dealers often find it hard to do so because counterfeiters have become smarter these days,” an official at the parts section of a leading automobile dealers told The Peninsula.
There is a 10 to 15 percent difference in the cost of spare parts imported from neighbouring countries and those sold at the authorised suppliers. However, the risk of being cheated is high because imported products do not have the name of local authorised dealers.
“Here, Tejari products are in high demand followed by imported genuine parts available at unauthorised outlets. Original products from authorised dealers are least favoured due to the cost usually. However, we cannot be sure about the authenticity of these imported products,” said a mechanic.
With counterfeit products appearing more like OEM products, the only way to identify real products is the logo of the local dealer. The sale of fake spare parts not only hits the business of authorised dealers, but also puts lives of drivers and other road users at risk. It also impacts the vehicle's performance and safety.
“Most running spare parts like brake pads, shoes, filters, clutch plates, discs, engine oil, gear oil, transmission fluid are being faked and marketed. Fake spare parts like brake pads can cause fatal road accidents. Many other parts like filters may cause fire and explosion in vehicles,” said the official at the automobile dealers .
“We advise consumers to always look for original auto spare parts and buy directly from our outlets or our designated dealers and never compromise safety by buying cheaper fake products,” said the official.
“Many have taken it for granted that spare parts are cheaper outside compared to authorised dealers. Recently, I was looking for a part —torque converter - for the milometer of my car. I ran from pillar to post to get a tejari but failed. Finally, I found one with a scrap dealer for QR100 but unfortunately it did not fit. Then I was left with no option but to go to an authorised dealer, where I got it done for QR55 within 15 minutes, saving my time and money,” said a motorist.
“Spare parts are available cheaper and at competitive prices in neighbouring countries due to different factors. Therefore many of us prefer to import genuine parts and couterfeits from there,” the manager of spare part shop said.
“Trading in fake products is illegal but it cannot be ruled out as the fraudulent practice is everywhere. The customers need to be more cautious,” he said.
“I took the quotation for a spare part — the upper arm for a mini-bus from its authorised dealer at QR525 and after discount for QR450. The same product with the mark of genuine part imported from a neighbouring county is available for QR350 at a shop. However, the price of counterpart parts of this product is QR250,”a mechanic said.
