Counterfeit NGK spark plugs

[Chris142]

Bought 6 of these for my jeep a few years ago before we knew how bad counterfeiting was.

Watched a video on how to identify fakes. These plugs fail most of the ways to identify fakes.

The first tip off is that there is no shadow of the plug on the box. Gets worse from there.

I believe I got them on ebay.

 

[The_Jeff]

V powers are their cheapo $3 plugs, right? Hard to imagine a profit motive for counterfeiting those-- I assumed the pricier iridium/ rutheniums would get the fakeout treatment.

But hey you never know. They're probably counterfeiting $0.10 Bic Pens.

 

[Chris142]

V powers are their cheapo $3 plugs, right? Hard to imagine a profit motive for counterfeiting those-- I assumed the pricier iridium/ rutheniums would get the fakeout treatment.

But hey you never know. They're probably counterfeiting $0.10 Bic Pens.

I also have some autolite coppers I believe are counterfeit.

 

[JeffKeryk]

I got bit on 2 cars with Amazon "NGK" plugs. And once on fake Denso coils for my Tundra. Sheesh.

 

[GRUMPYDUDE2]

EBAY and Amazon are a counterfeit products bottomless pit. Shame on them.

 

[Dave Hess]

I buy all my spark plugs from Advance Auto Parts.

 

[skyactiv]

I Never buy spark plugs online---Not worth it. Still gotta be careful buying at an auto parts store because someone could get burned buying fakes online, buy real ones at an auto parts store and return the fakes for a refund.

I just installed spark plugs on my GLI before driving to UT and back. I bought Bosch double iridium at O'Reillys despite the car coming with NGK's to lessen my chances. If anyone wants a pic of the factory plugs on a GLI with a stage 1 APR 93 octane high torque tune on the plugs quote me and I'll post it.

 

[redhat]

If anyone wants a pic of the factory plugs on a GLI with a stage 1 APR 93 octane high torque tune on the plugs quote me and I'll post it.

I'm you're huckleberry

 

[AZjeff]

EBAY and Amazon are a counterfeit products bottomless pit. Shame on them.

They both have about a billion different things for sale at any given time. And tens of thousands or more of sellers, no possible way to validate everything. Shame on buyers not being educated on commonly faked items. And trusting totally unknown sellers on Ebay. Fake Nikes falling apart is one thing, fake spark plugs or coils not working to spec can cost a lot more that what was saved.

 

[bdc101]

EBAY and Amazon are a counterfeit products bottomless pit. Shame on them.

I don't really fault eBay since they only claim to be a place for independent sellers to sell anything. Everybody who uses ebay knows they are buying from someone who is not affiliated with ebay.

Amazon on the other hand makes it easy for third-party sellers to look like authorized distributors when they're not, and even makes it easy for them to disappear and wipe away any bad reviews. Whereas it's very hard to get negative eBay feedback to disappear, and the return/refund policies are very strongly in the buyer's favor. On Amazon you can return something but you can't really get refunded for a fake part unless you repackage it and return it, and negative feedback takes weeks to appear and Amazon will often just automatically delete it. Amazon at this point is willfully and knowingly enabling the cheap-chinese-counterfeit scam.

If you buy something that's commonly counterfeited on ebay it's kind of on you, especially spark plugs (sorry OP). Nobody would ever get the impression they are buying NGK spark plugs on ebay from an authorized NGK distributor.

I even reported a counterfeiter on ebay once, who fraudulently misrepresented their product -- and ebay to their credit deleted their account!

 

[JavierH19]

V powers are their cheapo $3 plugs, right? Hard to imagine a profit motive for counterfeiting those-- I assumed the pricier iridium/ rutheniums would get the fakeout treatment.

But hey you never know. They're probably counterfeiting $0.10 Bic Pens.

Plugs like that only cost 50 cents to make and a box is barely more so if they sell I don't know maybe 50k per year world wide they're making a big stack.

 

[Drifter]

I just do not get it. How much profit could there be ? I buy my plugs from Rock Auto. No issues . I buy parts from Ebay from known sellers. All good so far. Bought a couple No name parts from Amazon. Seem ok for the price. **** crooks

 

[Chris142]

I Never buy spark plugs online---Not worth it. Still gotta be careful buying at an auto parts store because someone could get burned buying fakes online, buy real ones at an auto parts store and return the fakes for a refund.

I just installed spark plugs on my GLI before driving to UT and back. I bought Bosch double iridium at O'Reillys despite the car coming with NGK's to lessen my chances. If anyone wants a pic of the factory plugs on a GLI with a stage 1 APR 93 octane high torque tune on the plugs quote me and I'll post it.

Like I said I bought them before I knew.

 

[Spring Break '92]

I only buy plugs online from Advance Auto Parts.

 

[Chris142]

I buy all my spark plugs from Advance Auto Parts.

No aap anywhere near here. They are outrageous at the other stores.

 

[dubber09]

I think I got 3 or 4 sets of plugs in past 10+ years and all from RA, all checked out good. Normally buying plugs no longer than 3 months before I replace them.
You bought those years ago and didn't check them or use them? Wow!

 

[Nuclear_42]

I Never buy spark plugs online---Not worth it. Still gotta be careful buying at an auto parts store because someone could get burned buying fakes online, buy real ones at an auto parts store and return the fakes for a refund.

I just installed spark plugs on my GLI before driving to UT and back. I bought Bosch double iridium at O'Reillys despite the car coming with NGK's to lessen my chances. If anyone wants a pic of the factory plugs on a GLI with a stage 1 APR 93 octane high torque tune on the plugs quote me and I'll post it.

Sure why not spark plug pics are always a treat.

 

[skyactiv]

Like I said I bought them before I knew.

When I or others post I'm not always directing at the thread starter because what someone says may help other members out.

 

[skyactiv]

Sure why not spark plug pics are always a treat.

42K. I could have waited.

 

[Nuclear_42]

42K. I could have waited.


View attachment 344197

I'm thinking about my 60k service on my 21 Outback 2.5 next year. Currently at 52k. It's a chore but I'll probably pull out clean looking plugs.