Copycat components?

[cee-dee]

Have you ever seen or had experience of lookalike, copycat or fake car components?

I wondered because I've just read about an inquest where an "imported" track control arm broke leading to a death plus severe injuries to another person.

http://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/mechanical-failure-caused-a470-crash-10381769

Some years ago I had to fit a a new track rod end (to pass the MOT) for the car I had then from a motor factors. I didn't check on the manufacturer and it looked like a genuine part as the box looked the same colour and layout as Unipart.

I can't now remember the timescale between fitting it and the following but it was only a matter of months.

What happened was I was driving along a straight country road when suddenly the car started to veer left. I braked and steered right as the car lurched toward the side of the road and there was an awful noise of tortured rubber. I eased off the brake and the car straightened out lurching right so I steered straight ahead. I braked again and the same left lurch happened & etc until I eventually got the car stationary.

When I got out to look, my nearside front wheel was nearly at right angles to the car and looking underneath, I could see that the track rod and the TR end had parted company. Pushing the wheel straight I offered the two parts together and the TR end slipped straight on to the track rod. The threads had pulled right out of the TR end.

In the middle of nowhere, I slackened off the lock nut, shoved the parts together and screwed the track rod in. OK, so I knew the wheel alignment would be way out but at least I could very carefully drive in to town to see a friend who could help. Of course, it just had to be a time of day when everywhere was closed so I couldn't get a new part.

We decided to (more or less) align the wheels and braze the TR end to the track rod as a temporary fix so I could get home.

Another day and I got a complete steering rack (from a breakers) to replace mine as brazing the bits together meant I couldn't just remove the TR end and fit a new one.

When I fitted the part originally, I didn't check the thread inside the TR end so I don't know if the thread was not tapped properly or whether the thread was already pulled but looking at the part afterwards (before we brazed it), the metal seemed pretty soft and "crumbly".

I've only used "genuine" parts since then.

I was lucky I was on a deserted country road otherwise I could have some serious consequences.

[soppysofty]

Sometimes in life a 'pattern part' can be a huge saving and of no consequence if it fails.

If you wish to buy 'pattern parts' then ask yourself this question - If it fails, does it matter?

If the answer is yes then do not buy.

One of the reasons that 'pattern parts' are so cheap while original manufacturers parts are so (relativley) expensive is that the manufacturers part has had to pass very stringent quality control and is proven as fit for purpose (unless it is VW according to the media!).

On a car it is a no brainer.  Fit the best and use the car wisely.  It will save your life one day.

[cee-dee]

Yes, in general you're right but the component I bought was made to look like what it wasn't.

Thinking about it, I remember the chap behind the counter bringing the part in it's box, opening it up to show it to me and after paying, I left the box behind.

At no time did the chap say anything like "This is a cheaper part made by an independent manufacturer....."

OK, so it was really my fault for not checking the part out but how many would?