The Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries has weighed in on the parts debate launching a campaign of its own

The Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries is urging Australians to click cautiously following the release of research showing up to 60 per cent of online search results connect consumers with retailers selling counterfeits.

A quarter of search engine queries in automotive parts and four other sectors returned potentially harmful sites in the first three results, according to research by intellectual property protection firm Incopro.

FCAI Chief Executive Tony Weber said counterfeit car parts endangered everyone.

“The advice of the industry is that customers should only trust vehicle parts acquired through the authorized dealer network.

“Through our Genuine is Best initiative we have seen counterfeit brake pads, wheels, steering parts, oil filters, air filters, spark plugs and bonnets. They fail, they shatter, they catch fire or they snap in half.

“They put road users in harm’s way.

“We aren’t talking about clothing or handbags here. Counterfeit automotive parts directly endanger lives,” he said.

The automotive industry has previously worked with online trading platforms to remove listings and ban sellers of the illegal counterfeits from their sites.

In September, the discovery of counterfeit spark plugs capable of causing engine damage was added to the list of fakes encountered by FCAI initiative Genuine is Best. Other dangerous fakes include counterfeit oil filters that do not filter oil, wheels that shatter in low-speed pothole impacts, brake components containing asbestos and in one case, brake pads made of compressed grass clippings.

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Read the article on Trucksales here