Did I buy Fake Spark Plugs?

[fastone53w]

The Chinese mafia have there home ports, seas, and docks under control in some areas. They high jack the trucks or containers take real parts out, slip fakes in. Then take real ones resell them as legit items.

They cut the shipments with fakes that look, smell, feel real, until they fail.

Some groups are so good at it that the real manufactures can't even detect the fake products. With out destructive testing to get metal structure or hardness samples.

we always used good world known brand of needle bearings in our race engines, never had failures until 10 years ago. all of a sudden we started throwing rods out the engines from bearing failure.

We ask the company if something changed in their bearings. They told us about the fakes getting swapped out at sea or on foreign docks with fakes.

They said they have recently found they had 500000+ more bearings in house then they ordered.

Found 100% identical fake bearings, box, weight, size, packing, stampings, engraving 100% identical to real ones.

They found they have fakes are mixed in with the real ones right out of the incoming shipping supply.

Only way to tell is by hardness and spectrometer tests which are destructive process.

They said they have stopped selling and shipping known bearing types with fakes found until real ones can be verified.

sucks!!!!

 

[brillo_76]

The Chinese mafia have there home ports, seas, and docks under control in some areas. They high jack the trucks or containers take real parts out, slip fakes in. Then take real ones resell them as legit items.



They cut the shipments with fakes that look, smell, feel real, until they fail.



Some groups are so good at it that the real manufactures can't even detect the fake products. With out destructive testing to get metal structure or hardness samples.



we always used good world known brand of needle bearings in our race engines, never had failures until 10 years ago. all of a sudden we started throwing rods out the engines from bearing failure.



We ask the company if something changed in their bearings. They told us about the fakes getting swapped out at sea or on foreign docks with fakes.



They said they have recently found they had 500000+ more bearings in house then they ordered.



Found 100% identical fake bearings, box, weight, size, packing, stampings, engraving 100% identical to real ones.



They found they have fakes are mixed in with the real ones right out of the incoming shipping supply.



Only way to tell is by hardness and spectrometer tests which are destructive process.



They said they have stopped selling and shipping known bearing types with fakes found until real ones can be verified.



sucks!!!!

Good reason to mfg in the United states. Or in areas that the mafia cant swap them. . I agree it sucks.

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[Gull81]

The Chinese mafia have there home ports, seas, and docks under control in some areas. They high jack the trucks or containers take real parts out, slip fakes in. Then take real ones resell them as legit items.

They cut the shipments with fakes that look, smell, feel real, until they fail.

Some groups are so good at it that the real manufactures can't even detect the fake products. With out destructive testing to get metal structure or hardness samples.

we always used good world known brand of needle bearings in our race engines, never had failures until 10 years ago. all of a sudden we started throwing rods out the engines from bearing failure.

We ask the company if something changed in their bearings. They told us about the fakes getting swapped out at sea or on foreign docks with fakes.

They said they have recently found they had 500000+ more bearings in house then they ordered.

Found 100% identical fake bearings, box, weight, size, packing, stampings, engraving 100% identical to real ones.

They found they have fakes are mixed in with the real ones right out of the incoming shipping supply.

Only way to tell is by hardness and spectrometer tests which are destructive process.

They said they have stopped selling and shipping known bearing types with fakes found until real ones can be verified.

sucks!!!!

Wow, Crazy!

 

[T4R2014]

I'm pretty sure all the NGK plugs I've gotten were made in Japan.

 

[Kanoe]

These plugs were picked up at Camelback in Phoenix in Jan of this year. Same origin if I get them locally in Canada. I noticed the switch from Japan about a year ago. I haven’t noticed any performance difference.

Oh nuts. Phone won’t upload photos. You’ll have to take my word for it, made in Indonesia.

 

[Kanoe]

Maybe here.

 

[Gull81]

Maybe here.

Does the plug itself say made in Indonesia on it, or just the box?

 

[4restGump]

Take a picture of the prongs that’s the easiest way to id the plugs

 

[Kanoe]

Does the plug itself say made in Indonesia on it, or just the box?

Just the box. These are OEM from the dealer.

 

[19963.4lsr5]

This reminds me I bought a set of heat range 6 double platinums from amazon to put in my Saturn. I need to check them.


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[jbtvt]

The Chinese mafia have there home ports, seas, and docks under control in some areas. They high jack the trucks or containers take real parts out, slip fakes in. Then take real ones resell them as legit items.

...

sucks!!!!

Big time, but they brought it on themselves with the outsourcing of manufacturing. I won't buy Chinese bearings unless absolutely nothing else is made in the size I need. So much Chinese stuff is crap, even name brands, it's ridiculous. I just bought a $200 18v Metabo grinder, now being made in China, the worm gear noise and play is so bad compared to their 120v German ones I disassembled it last night to see what was going on and nothing was obvious. Just lower tolerance standards and cost cutting, indicated by the outsourcing. Hopefully Coronavirus will have manufacturers rethinking their supply strategies, and maybe the Feds will start clamping down more on the counterfeits coming through US ports, like they're supposed to (obv they can't if goods were swapped and paperwork checks out like above story)

 

[T4R2014]

Just the box. These are OEM from the dealer.

Well I'll be damned. I would see if an equivalent NGK is made in Japan. A lot of OEM parts are being superseded by cost cutting alternatives.

 

[HiLife]

Hopefully Coronavirus will have manufacturers rethinking their supply strategies

I believe some are already are doing so. Friend goes to vietnam a lot and he says there is obvious evidence of US investing more monies in manufacturing there. Now, the thing is, will corruption repeat itself there too? I wouldn't hold my breath on that one.

 

[brillo_76]

Well I'll be damned. I would see if an equivalent NGK is made in Japan. A lot of OEM parts are being superseded by cost cutting alternatives.

Most NGK are mfg in the north American continent. From what I have seen. Denso is different. As NGK north America exist and anyone can contact them to verify genuine parts.

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[TheDurk]

You do know you can get NGK parts at your local auto parts store, right? It isn't *all* crap - you just have to ask for the right stuff.

-Charlie

I have been buying NGKs from my local NAPA (and Wix filters) since first change on my 4Runner around 2000, and many other vehicles going back 30 years. I never have had a problem.

 

[99t4runna]

You should definetly return them and buy the same ones from a reputable vendor or shop.

 

[mkzg]

Pardon it being upside down - but you can see the difference in the checkering with the old and new plug, and the font of K16TR11. I think these are fake.

If someone could confirm that would be nice, but it seems likely that this is a "learn from my mistakes" type thread.

Yea they look fake. I had the same issue when I ordered off Amazon. I filed a complaint and was issued a full refund immediately by the seller. and the seller was "denso" as well. Then the seller ordered the correct ones for me from Advance auto parts and had them shipped to my door at no cost. got real ones for free. You can tell if they are real platinum/iridium as well by looking at the electrode, it should have a bluish tint to it

 

[Gull81]

Yea they look fake. I had the same issue when I ordered off Amazon. I filed a complaint and was issued a full refund immediately by the seller. and the seller was "denso" as well. Then the seller ordered the correct ones for me from Advance auto parts and had them shipped to my door at no cost. got real ones for free. You can tell if they are real platinum/iridium as well by looking at the electrode, it should have a bluish tint to it

Thank you,

I put the old worn our plugs in and it runs like a dream now. I found plugs on ebay being sold from by a local toyota dealership for cheap (around $15 for 6). They said I could pick them up in-store to skip the shipping charges. I will probably drive over and pick them up from them; hopefully no more fakes.

 

[lockedlex]

Yep, I did the same thing when I S/C my Runner. Bought the cooler IK22 plugs from a random Ebay seller... but then heard of horror stories of the tips falling off into the cylinder, misfires, the plug cracking, etc. Decided it wasn't worth saving 20 or 30 bucks.

Ended up buying them from a dealership directly. And yes, there was definitely a difference in them, I should have taken a photo.

Sadly, I was past the ebay return timeframe, so I just ate the cost of those knockoff IK22, but it was worth the piece of mind. I will NEVER buy from now on, any critical car parts from Ebay or Amazon.