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Truck maintenance requires caution: Watch out for 5 types of fake parts on the market
Currently, there are mainly three types of products being sold in the auto parts market: genuine parts, secondary parts, and counterfeit or inferior parts. What we often call fake parts are those made by shady sellers trying to make bigger profits by copying well-known car brands’ parts or original manufacturer parts. Although they might look very similar, their quality is far from up to standard, which not only affects the normal lifespan of the vehicle but also poses certain safety risks while driving.
● 5 Most Common Fake Car Parts You Need to Watch Out For
Fake car parts in the domestic market can basically cover any component of a vehicle. Here, let's talk about the most common ones, the ones that are the biggest scams.
1. Fake Engine Oil Seriously Damages the Engine
The engine's lubrication system is very similar to the human circulatory system. Just as the human body can't function without healthy blood, an engine can't function properly without quality oil. The performance and lifespan of an engine largely depend on the quality of the oil.
2. Fake 'Three Filters' Accelerate Engine Wear
'Three filters' is an industry term that has been around for a long time; it refers to three common car parts: the oil filter, fuel filter, and air filter. They are responsible for filtering the air intake system, lubrication system, and fuel system, respectively. Fake three-filter products can't filter out impurities properly, and some fake products don't filter at all, causing the engine to wear out unusually fast.
3. Fake Coolant Doesn't Freeze and Corrodes the Engine
In addition to providing antifreeze protection, coolant usually prevents boiling, corrosion, and scaling. Fake coolants are often mixed with low-boiling-point alcohols. Although these fake products do provide antifreeze, their boiling point is very low, making the radiator prone to overheating. Some are even mixed with industrial salts and brine, which are highly corrosive to the engine's cooling system.
4. Fake Brake Pads Seriously Affect Driving Safety
Brake pads are one of the most critical safety components in a vehicle's braking system. The effectiveness of braking is directly related to the quality of the brake pads. In terms of braking distance, counterfeit brake pads will definitely take longer to stop than genuine ones. Additionally, problems like heat fade after emergency braking, reduced braking power in the rain, excessive wear on the brake drum due to overly hard friction material, and the possibility of the brake pads cracking or falling off during sudden braking all seriously affect driving safety.
5. Fake Brake Valves Make Brakes Less Responsive
For vehicles using air brakes, there are many valves that optimize braking performance. However, counterfeit brake valves, due to their poor workmanship, can make the brakes less responsive or even fail, which impacts driving safety.
There are many types of fake parts; here we’ve just listed a few common ones, and we welcome everyone to add more.
● Learn to Identify and Avoid Using Fake Parts
The proliferation of counterfeit car parts causes many inconveniences for users, which is also tied to user demand. Fake parts are almost everywhere in auto parts markets and even 4S dealerships. Here’s a summary of some ways to avoid the possibility of using fake parts.
1. Never be greedy for cheap deals; cheap goods are rarely good
In the auto parts industry, due to differences in quality, counterfeit products are often several times cheaper than genuine ones. It's helpful to pay attention to the prices of parts you commonly use for your vehicle. Nowadays, most genuine parts manufacturers have a set retail price within a certain region, and in some cases, prices are even standardized nationwide. This is especially true for bulk consumables like engine oil.
If you notice a part's price is far below the normal range when shopping, you should be cautious because it's very likely a counterfeit product.
2. Use your senses to tell real parts from fake
Counterfeit parts are all imitations of original genuine parts, and they try to mimic the labels and packaging details as much as possible. However, due to their inherently low quality, they can’t match the real thing in terms of sensory experience. This includes the product packaging and printed information on the packaging.
3. Counterfeit parts are sloppy in details
Due to manufacturing constraints, counterfeit parts often have rough details. Genuine products usually consider environmental impact and safety for humans, while counterfeit products are often made from cheap materials and may have a sharp or unpleasant smell. Of course, this method only works for general counterfeit products; for fakes that pay a lot of attention to surface details, some professional knowledge is required.
4. It’s best to compare with the genuine product
Comparing with the real thing is the most effective way to tell the difference. As the saying goes, 'It’s not a problem if you don’t know the product, the problem is if you don’t compare products.' No matter how realistic a counterfeit is, it can’t be exactly like the real thing, because that would increase manufacturing costs and defeat the purpose of making cheap fakes. If possible, try to compare the part you’re buying with a genuine one. However, few people have that opportunity, so it’s important to remember the characteristics of some commonly used parts for your own car.
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