Are counterfeit OEM parts suspect at OEM-only resellers?

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Like Tasca, gmpartsdirect, etc. Have you gotten, or do you suspect they are as susceptible to selling counterfeit parts as the sellers we already know or suspect of doing so?

I'm thinking these OEM-only sellers may be the last trustworthy (?) sources for parts at decent prices.

Summit also sells a lot more OEM parts than they used to and they seem more reliable but I think as their offerings expand they'll be more likely to distribute counterfeits.
 
Somebody said they got fake Motorcraft spark plugs from a major auto parts chain.

I forgot the person but they posted side by side photos of both plugs.

Maybe going to dealer is best for critical parts.
 
Like Tasca, gmpartsdirect, etc. Have you gotten, or do you suspect they are as susceptible to selling counterfeit parts as the sellers we already know or suspect of doing so?

I'm thinking these OEM-only sellers may be the last trustworthy (?) sources for parts at decent prices.

Summit also sells a lot more OEM parts than they used to and they seem more reliable but I think as their offerings expand they'll be more likely to distribute counterfeits.


How do we know these are official OEM parts resellers? Anyone can start a website and name it to sound real and convincing. This is the big problem with online sales.


There are dealership parts departments that sell online. Those would be more trustworthy. It’s a minefield out there. Trust but verify.
 
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How do we know these are official OEM parts resellers? Anyone can start a website and name it to sound real and convincing. This is the big problem with online sales.


There are dealership parts departments that sell online. Those would be more trustworthy. It’s a minefield out there. Trust but verify.
Tasca is a dealership chain with a large online presence. Not sure about GMpartsdirect, but probably the same. Usually you can find some contact info on the site that will tell you what dealer runs it. There are companies that offer ready made websites for dealers to sell parts through, they just have to pick a domain name that will get a lot of clicks. JimBobBuickGMC.com might not, but Gmpartssuperstore.com or whatever will.

Dealers are unlikely to get into counterfeit parts. GM tracks our "loyalty" and it impacts what we can return to them. They know where we buy things from. It's not worth it on so many levels for a regular franchised dealership to do sketchy things. Weird companies supposedly from the Midwest that cold call and tell me they will sell me large quantities of heavily discounted items in GM packaging get told off real quick.

To my knowledge, I've yet to encounter a truly counterfeit part. I can totally see it buying something like spark plugs at a too good to be true price from a basically unknown seller, but it's like if you went to a sketchy place to buy designer shoes or something. At some point there should be some red flags that the seller can't be trusted.

I buy parts off eBay all the time, the Silk Road of BITOG. Most of them used, some new but from sellers who figured out a niche and bought a ton of an item, for example the guy who sells hundreds of 1990s Explorer antenna trim caps. Nobody is faking that, if they are, mine fit fine and came in impeccably reproduced Ford packaging. eBay is not where I go to buy spark plugs, especially at impossibly cheap prices. Buyer beware and all that.
 
Last year I bought an AC-Delco ICM and two Delco coils from RockAuto. They worked great for about a week and then the car developed a misfire. Because of time constraints and it being super hot outside, I decided to just throw a Standard brand ICM and coil setup that I had on it instead of trying to diagnose it and the misfire was gone and is what is still on the car today.

Not sure if I got counterfeit parts or just bad ones but at some point I need to put them back on the car so I can figure out which of the three parts is bad so I can get it warrantied. I'm guessing one of the coils since usually when the ICM's have issues on this car, the car won't start or stay running.

I have bought many parts from Rock Auto as well as Tasca and GMpartsdirect in the past with no issues as well as from several others of the online dealership sellers.
 
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