on
25-06-2025
9:39 AM
- last edited on
25-06-2025
5:26 PM
by
kh-mfaiz
I recently purchased a Mass Air Flow sensor from the seller which i fitted to my car. Within 5 weeks
the car broke down whilst travelling in the 3rd lane of the motorway at 65 mph.
I had to roll into the hard shoulder which was extremely dangerous as i had traffic
behind me and to my left. The car was recovered and taken to a Mercedes specialist. He
confirmed the part that i had purchased is a chinese counterfeit unit and not fit for
purpose. I contacted the seller who closed the case INSTANTLY without an
ammicable solution due to the fact i purchased it just over 30 days ago. I left a Negative
feedback on his account to warn potential buyers they were buying counterfeit products and our
friends at Ebay customer services REMOVED the feedback stating it was threatening. The feedback read
"Fake chinese parts - failed after 5 weeks - seller refused refund"
Ebay are allowing sellers to market fake counterfeit car parts + other items on ebay but if you
were to sell a fake designer watch Ebay will cancel the item immediately. Its important
potential buyers are aware of counterfeit products hence the feedback process but how are
you meant to alert potential buyers when ebay removes the feedback ? Are ebay supporting these
people due to the commission rates they receive ? Its not very good for ebay as a platform
allowing these counterfeit products to be sold.
Ive now issued a chargeback through my financial institute to receive my money back as ebay
have been very unhelpful indeed.
25-06-2025 9:47 AM
Ebay is full of counterfeit car products. There are chinese turbos, chinese MAF sensors, chinese alternators, chinese EGR valves etc etc. Yes they are complete rubbish and will fail within weeks. Why ebay are allowing these products to be marketed on their site i dont know. The product you purchased retails at £790 + vat from Mercedes so the £230 price shows this is a non genuine part. Mercedes HAVE NOT allowed the parts to be copied so the item is no doubt a fake ( it seems the sellers feedback is consistent with failing parts ) I would perhaps contact a solicitor or take them to a small claims court to pursue your losses
25-06-2025 10:43 AM - edited 25-06-2025 10:46 AM
The seller should definitely have refunded the order and that is bad customer service. It might be worth speaking to eBay to see if they take any further action.
But i have to add in all fairness to the seller what they are selling isn't fake or counterfeit looking into the listing. If they advertised it as a "genuine" mercedes part in the item specifics, description or image than it 100% would be, or if it turned up in mercedes packaging but the item inside wasnt actually made by mercedes. But the seller has stated the brand is SilverHub (not mercedes) so the part in itself isn't counterfeit just as if you was to walk into eurocarparts ect and pick up a mercedes air filter made by bosch or another brand it wouldn't be counterfeit.
The same as if you buy an iphone phone case many of which are on ebay it wouldn't be counterfeit unless the seller clearly states it was made by apple.
What it is, is just a bad quality part and a seller which needs to sort out there customer services as they will eventually get kicked off the site.
25-06-2025 10:56 AM
You will find companies like Bosch / lucas / siemens / continental / denso etc have contracts with
manufacturers and make parts for them. Most cars have a Bosch alternator or a denso injector etc. You will
find in this instance that Mercedes and only Mercedes manufacturer this exact part. It is not
made by any other company nor has Mercedes given permission for a third party to do so. I have spoken with Mercedes
who have confirmed this.
25-06-2025 12:16 PM
The part from that listing is currently manufactured by many companies, Albro, Imex, AT Autotielle, AIC, Alanco, Ampro, BBR, BBT, Bogap, Dipasport, Esen, Frey, MTR, NTY OSSCA, Truktek, Vemo, Vika & possibly more. They are all decent brands, operating legally, offering warranty and in many cases significantly cheaper than Mercedes.