Calling all Toyota employees, help take down fake part distributors!

[Ask10]

I just ordered $1,300 of parts off of 3 separate eBay vendors which ALL labeled their parts as "OEM Toyota" and "Brand new". However, I have the sneaking suspicion that they are all fake makers/suppliers DESPITE THAT THEY ALL HAVE 20,000 plus feedback on eBay, but I am not sure. So I want to ask those that work at dealers if this is the case of not and if you have proof (i.e., parts to compare my supposed fakes to, or information if Toyota made mid year changes to the parts which would explain some discrepancies, then okay).

So, I found one of my seals was damaged in the shipping process but missed it until it was too late to file a case to get my money back, so I just hopped on over to the Toyota dealer. I put the seal on the counter (in it's package) and immediately the guy looking at it said "That's not a Toyota part." He brought out the real seal and the thing is completely different looking than the original.

I send a message to the eBay seller I got the seal from and they responded "Toyota made changes to which supplier they got their seals from, so yours might look different." However, when I compared the seal I just bought from the dealer, it's B.S. The seal I got is IDENTICAL to the one in my truck, but not the one I got from the 20,000 feedback eBay distributor.

So, I started digging further and further into the parts I ordered and found over and over that they were either mislabeled as "OEM", i.e. Denso vs. Sumitomo wires, or outright fakes (like the seal). However, I only have 10 or so parts to compare it to, so I want to ask ANY TOYOTA PARTS employees for help. If anyone has access to parts and can take detailed pics of them, I would gladly wait installing my current parts so I can take detailed pics of them to compare. If my suspicions are confirmed, I want to take this eBay and get these sellers kicked off for bold faced lies and distributing Chinese crap.

I might be crazy, but I can't stand when people post bold faced lies about what they are selling and then have the balls to charge a premium for "OEM" stuff. I want to clean their clocks and put them out of business by getting their business practices reported.

If anyone has any experiences also to contribute, please let me know and let's get the ball rolling to get rid of these people and their Chinese copies so we can all be assured that what we buy is genuine and quality.

-Ask10 (Adam)

Example 1:

Cam seal

Left is fake, right is real


Real, notice the bag is sealed and not taped


Label is extremely sticky and tears even when great care is taken to remove it.


Fake


Fake bag opens right away


Label comes right off.


Real seal and indeed the same one from my truck is an NOK


Fake seal says "Made in Japan"


New Genuine Aisin pump...


Ground off Toyota markings...


New my butt...

 

[Brian757]

I'm no Toyota employee but this sucks. Sorry you had to learn about this the hard way. I guess the safest bet is to order directly through dealers. Camelback and other dealers seem like the only cheap OEM distributor.

 

[T4R2014]

Thanks for sharing. Would you mind telling us who these ebay sellers are?

 

[BrianSD_42]

Sorry to hear that. File a paypal fraud claim. do it within 30 days.

Paypal usually F&#*s the seller and sides with the buyer. You probably have a pretty good chance of winning.

This whole thread reads like a giant advertisement for buying from Camelback Toyota Online Parts or similar dealerships that sell over the internet.

They sell REAL Toyota parts, just over the web. They are a real dealership - meaning you can visit them in person.

Camelback Toyota Parts - Genuine OEM Parts - Free Shipping

http://parts.camelbacktoyota.com/partlocator/index.cfm?

:lookout:

 

[Forrrrest]

I am a Toyota parts guy and the w/p definitely looks to be a fraud, the seal not so much. But think about this, the manufacturer might be required to remove casting marks when selling to another vendor other than TMC. Due to legal situations. The wrapper means nothing except on the eBay one I DO NOT see a manufacture date, I.E. 3z17 on other part but. I have also seen parts come into my dealer with out it. I will look a Lil more at parts tomorrow for ya.

 

[Ask10]

I wont say it's exactly this seller, because it seems like EVERYONE sells the same s***, but this is who I got the seals from, along with a few other misrepresented stuff like the "OEM tune up kit" with Denso wires when OEMs are Sumitomos.

I'll give the sellers some benefit of the doubt though, the thermostat IS genuine, the roller and tensioners look genuine, and so is the oil filter (in terms of comparing what I saw at the dealer just now, went back for a water pump). So, I think the fake dealer is actually someone who is supplying the seals to the resellers, along with the timing belts (my timing belt is written is CHINESE, but says made in the U.S.A. I read Japanese, and can confirm it's not written in Japanese.)

Here's an example. See even the fake seal bags are the same from seller to seller.

Complete Timing Belt Kit Water Pump Genuine OE Manufacture Parts 3 4 V6 | eBay

Toyota 3 4 V6 Aisin TKT 005 Complete 16 Pcs Timing Belt Pump Kit | eBay

OEM seals are brown, these are black, just like the fake ones I got.

Toyota Tacoma 4 Runner Tundra T100 5VZFE 3 4 V6 Timing Belt Kit OE Factory Parts | eBay
421&vxp=mtr

 

[Ask10]

I just figured out what's going on.

So, the some of the parts are OEM and some aren't, but aren't really stated as such.

There are a few things that are difficult to "fake", such as the timing belt tensioners/bearings and such, and those are genuine. However, the cam seals (the one I noticed on) are in fact "THO" seals which are from Japan, but a lot cheaper. i.e. A seal from them is $4 I think but the OEM one is $14.50. Same with the crank seal, $18 from my dealer, but $6 something from Japan.

The the water pump is never specifically stated to be new, hence, it's a remaned Aisin, not a fake one. However, it is a genuine Aisin as Aisin apparently (it seems) makes remanufactured water pumps, just like how Bosch remans alternators for some stores. Should they have morally stated the pump was a reman? Yeah, but did they? No. And after all, it is an OE Aisin pump, just not a new one.

EDIT: The timing belt is also "genuine", but is a Singaporean version of Toyota's timing belt apparently. Says made in the U.S.A. but the Chinese writing says "Do not crimp", I assume for the Singaporeans? even though they speak English. I have no idea, but I just got emailed from another seller (whom I didn't buy from) who said they are all genuine Toyota parts, just that they buy in bulk from sellers internationally, whoever gives them the cheapest price. That could be Thailand, Singapore, Mexico, etc, which could explain the Chinese writing on it.

So, it's really treading along the fine line of iffy business. The THO seals are from Japan, but they're cheap aftermarket versions that are repackaged in fake Toyota seal bags with labels and sold as OEM ones.

Either or, I guess I didn't end up with Chinese fakes per se, but it's really really iffy. Eff eBay for now, I'm only buying locally or from the mentioned sellers on here.

 

[BrianSD_42]

So, it's really treading along the fine line of iffy business.

Actually dude its FRAUD. Its not a fine line at all.

 

[garrett1478]

If you are looking for brand new OEM parts, why are you on ebay??

Isn't there a saying about too good to be true?

 

[Ask10]

^^Actually I normally go to the dealer despite the extra cash, but being in Hawaii, sometimes things take a while to get in. I tried to get the crankshaft pulley bolt and a lot of other things for my V8, but they had to order it and it would take a few weeks since I was told it was backordered. Wanting to do the timing belts soon, I didn't want to wait. Then when I saw OEM kits online, it seemed to make life a whole lot easier. It just happened to be for sale on eBay. No more waiting in line at the cashier, 2 day shipping available, I could just get the whole shebang and be done, that's actually why honestly I went that route.

 

[toyoKühl]

I read the first three lines of this post and have not read anyone else's post on this thread. Why? because EBAY IS A BULLSH#T company. please everybody stop buying from them and their sellers. I would rather buy from a guy on craigslist who notifies me in advance that he is going to rob me when i come to pick up my fake toyota parts than deal with ebay.

Please, everybody, stop giving ebay validation!

 

[LittleCaesar]

I would think that you are correct in assuming that the seller is nothing more than a middleman. For example I know that early on seller aircabman used the koyo idler and not the nsk, with the former's roller being smaller in width than the belt itself. A call or two was made by a fellow member on here years ago and an NSK idler was sent out as a replacement quickly. You may want to try and contact them, thus giving them the chance to give you the correct part and help them on providing the correct parts for the future.

Aisin actually makes whole timing kits that can be gotten through NAPA and Oreilys. I personally would not use their tensioner, but an OEM one.

It is downright scary how much stuff is being manufactured with second rate specs but sold as OEM. The lack of quality control is pretty widespread in the PRC, enough to where companies are having their products built and assembled elsewhere now.

 

[BrianSD_42]

I definitely 2nd contacting the seller and demanding they send the correct part.

I'm betting they will do the right thing.

 

[pluton]

If you are looking for brand new OEM parts, why are you on ebay??

Isn't there a saying about too good to be true?

My question also.

 

[Ask10]

EDITED: I retract my statement earlier.., just not the advice to buy from a Toyota dealer or reputable seller.

 

[BrianSD_42]

Did you open a PayPal dispute?

It's not serious unless you do that. They'll just ignore you.

 

[KidVermicious]

So, these fake 3rd gen parts, are we to assume that they only affect 3rd gen trucks?

 

[jkoni426]

As with anything on ebay, ya gotta be careful, read the ad thoroughly, and check feedback. I am very happy with the tb kit I got off ebay- all oem parts and had the same exact cam seals as the ones you got from the dealer. The seller's name was jdmpartsman714.

 

[MAD 69]

This has been going on for years, the Chinese are great at stealing copyrighted/patents and copying them(horribly I might add) and selling their crap to unsuspecting consumers. The only Asian country I will do business with is Japan since they seem to have their stuff in order.

 

[JRZEE2000TR4LTD]

I just bought this Toyota 3 4 V6 Aisin TKT 005 Complete 16 Pcs Timing Belt Pump Kit | eBay This to me was the best deal on Ebay.

I received two different "colored" camshaft seals. One was NKO one was THO. The THO was the brown style that was in the truck. I emailed the seller and almost immediately received a response. Here is the sellers response:

"Both seals are OEM. You must have received one that was from NOK and the other from THO. Both brands are OEM brands that Toyota use for their seals. So you just received one from each brand. But both are original."

I have no problem with this. All the parts looked OEM to me. Installed all the parts about a month ago. No leaks. No issues at all. The price was fantastic. I put all the same parts in a cart from Camelback and it was going to be around $500.