jetech

Has anyone had "fake" NGK plugs sold to them? I had no idea such a thing existed. I purchased 8 plugs from Amazon and I am not sure now if the plugs are authentic NGK's. I called NGK - USA and spoke with a tech rep. He said he could not tell me if the plugs are authentic or not as the illegitimate manufacturers are getting very good at recreating the fake plugs.
He suggested I only purchase plugs from an authorized NGK reseller like auto parts stores, Summit, Jegs, etc...

Che70velle

iTrader: (6)

I’m not surprised. Folks can counterfeit anything these days with a little effort. I don’t buy stuff like this on amazon. Summit Racing for most speed parts here...

LLLosingit

iTrader: (4)

Could be fake, Anything can be faked anymore razors/fuel pumps even tires..... Many times they come off the same assembly line but use inferior materials. That's the problem with having products produced in other countries you don't have control of your own product.

99 Black Bird T/A

iTrader: (4)

Also sometimes the actual part that failed OEM quality checks aren't disposed of correctly and end up on ebay or Amazon etc.

jetech

DAMN, that sucks too! I was thinking that the ones I bought were authentic Ngk , but now thinking I should just get a set from Summit .
Thanks guys for the replies

bammax

Throw them in and if the car runs ok then don't worry about it. People get paranoid over stupid things instead of just admitting everything is just Chinese crap.

jetech

Initially I was concerned that if they were cheap knockoffs that the ground electrode might fall off or the porcelain might crack apart in the cylinder and ruin my day!
I think these are genuine.

LLLosingit

iTrader: (4)

That would mean most cars on the road in the last 20+ years are crap, They may not be made in China but they are loaded with parts made there along with everything else we use daily.

G Atsma

Bingo. As was said somewhere else around here, the Chinese will make parts as good as the buyer wants them and pays accordingly.

mikedamageinc

iTrader: (49)

TR55 are like 1.50 a piece, what kind of margin is there for fakes? Unless you're talking about the laser irridium which are over priced crap anyway.

99 Black Bird T/A

iTrader: (4)

$10 to $12 for a set of TR55's at 100% percent profit to the seller if they snagged it out of the scrap bin Probably five times that for iridium.

dr_whigham

iTrader: (49)

Eh, maybe for the NA guys. The TR7ix's work wonders on an LSA.

ironmikektm525

what makes you think there fake?

jetech

I just happened to see a youtube video about counterfeit NGK plugs, so I looked at the plugs I purchased and the printed NGK on the plugs were not centered on the porcelain. Then I noticed what I thought was a poor weld at the ground electrode. Turns out they are exactly like the ACDelco plugs electrode.
I called NGK and spoke with a tech rep,but he could not tell me if the plugs I bought were genuine or not. After some more time spent on the internet , noticed that all of the pics of the NGK tr6IX plugs looked just like the ones I had. All in all I feel pretty confident these are good to go.

00pooterSS

iTrader: (40)

I just get mine from autozone or whatever local parts store has them. And your big name stores will be getting them from the manufacturer so you should be safe if you stick to that.

Always remember, if the price is too good to be true, then there's likely to be a problem. NGK plugs are high quality and even at full price they aren't that expensive. The copper plugs are like $2 a piece even from brick and mortar parts stores.

pillagenburn

iTrader: (2)

IMO one of the main reasons one should be upset about counterfeits (of anything really) is warranty.... imagine having something for months then it dies, you go to call the manufacturer to get a replacement and they get to tell you that your product is, in fact, a counterfeit when they can't find the serial number in the system.