WARNING - Fake Belts (not just Takata)

[Si.G]

Hi Everyone,

Just a word of warning. Most people probably know that there are a lot of fake Takata harnesses out there, however it would seem that the fake harness industry is branching out into other brands.

I recently bought some new harnesses from an Ebay seller. The belts were relatively cheap, but tagged with 2016, so I assumed they were old stock going cheap, which is why I did not think the price was suspect.

When I verified whether they were genuine with the supposed manufacture (sent them pics), they confirm that they were not authentic. I have managed to get my money back because I paid with paypal.

The seller was very aggressive and I suspect that they thought they had genuine products.

I don't really want to call out the seller - hopefully they will be dealt with by the manufacture I contacted. I don't want to call out the brand of belts because I don't want to damage their brand. All I am saying is be careful and benefit from my experience. After all, this is potentially your life we are talking about, in the event of a fake belt failing. I recommend buying locally from a reputable shop.

I ended up buying some belts form revolution race wear - made in Taiwan, paid more, but at least they will have been tested and the quality actually very good.

Si.

[Apu]

I'd call them out. You verified they were fake...don't be bullied otherwise.

We're not talking about lights or some other accessory here, this is a safety item. Name them and give them the bad feedback on eBay.

[Mr Morlock]

Thats surprising- shonky products bought off e bay at a bargain price. China as one example copies everything as quick as you blink - you spend 6 months developing something and they copy it in 2 weeks- often rubbish product and claims of genuine OE often mean nothing. These people know what they are doing- stitching you up.

[Red Dragon]

Mr M
Not all Chinese products are shonky quality, I am a lawn bowler and a friend had a shop selling bowling gear.
He had a bloke come into his shop and ask what was his best selling shoe.
Long story short he took a few pairs of men's and women's and came back within a month with his own brand copied from the samples.
Many dollars cheaper and better quality, now they are one of the leading shoes on the market

[shuey]

ah, the typically generalisation of China made products being of shonky and sub-standard quality. i'm impressed

[taminga16]

ah, the typically generalisation of China made products being of shonky and sub-standard quality. i'm impressed

Mr M, people once said the same of Japan and lets not forget Korea.

[Apu]

Take it easy guys. Mr M's time machine still has him time warped a couple of decades back, so he hasn't caught up yet.

...maybe he built it using China products of the day. That'll probably explain it.

[shuey]

Anyhoo.. would love to see the comparison pics of the genuine and replica-ish (don't like to use the word fake ) products if you could post them up

[deviant]

I'd call them out. You verified they were fake...don't be bullied otherwise.

We're not talking about lights or some other accessory here, this is a safety item. Name them and give them the bad feedback on eBay.

This.

And also could you please post the pictures you sent and the verification from the manufacturer so other people can have a clue on what to look for with this particular brand.

What made you question them when they arrived?

Personally I bought my harnesses from Revolution Race Gear. They are the RPM branded ones and are great quality and not that expensive in the grand scheme of things.

[Mr Morlock]

my guess is that most of you have not worked in an manufacturing environment.One of my bosses ran a plant in China and he reckoned anything of value made in Au would be copied and it was true. China is cheap but they take lots of shortcuts and they cheat unless they are regulated and or watched by International co.'s. They kill us because the playing fields are not even remotely level and they even fudge their currency. What is not understood is that a product might look the same but not perform the same because the materials are inferior. Plastics as an example are far from all the same- same with rubber metal etc. Multi nationals work there because they have little choice- the conditions may suit the German or US or Dutch cos etc but they have to be ever alert but they get assistance to set up their plants while the know -how gets stolen. Cos like Osram and Philips source product in China in their own plants but some years ago we would not even be offered product coming out of those plants because the quality was inferior. . Some might buy a Chinese car but I never will and I am not at all happy with food products either.

I know that much of the products are dodgy and the claims are false and many would never know the difference between the real McCoy and a knock off - price is often the giveaway.

A co I worked for also tried the courts to catch the copyists but it was a pointless exercise - get one and two pop up somewhere else.

As for Taminga point about Japan and Korea I know where he is coming from but its not really quite true. Japan had a poor reputation in the 50's and 60's but they applied themselves assiduously to making good products and they were helped by USA in quality methods ( e.g. supermarket systems). Japan were already building good cars in the late 60's. Korea have been manufacturing pretty seriously for some decades but it has taken a lot of bad cars before they started to get into the higher league. Bear in mind Japan or Germany with its engineering brain have a commitment to producing quality products and not to let bad product out the door- I don;t think China has the same philosophy. If you buy product e.g. lawn mowers, power tools etc and ask the experts i.e. guys that sell and service and they will tell you that the Japanese made and well know brands at the higher prices last longer and are much more reliable. We often don't care its not always important but other times it is better to source with your head not just the wallet.

[shuey]

my guess is that most of you have not worked in an manufacturing environment.

.. never assume Mr. M because when you assume, you make an ass out of you and me (mainly you actually), just sayin'

[meanmx]

My understanding is that you get what you pay for in China. People buying from China want the cheapest possible and that's where crap comes from. If you pay the money you will get a great product. I've bought many products from China that have been great.

[zossy1]

My money is on this fake being a Sabelt. The Sabelt harnesses on eBay are stupid cheap.

EDIT - or a Sparco. Heaps of suspiciously cheap Sparcos there too...

[Rocky]

One of the most difficult challenges to the consumer in recent decades is to decide whether to stick with products that traditionally have good reputations for quality (but are often now manufactured in China) or go for a much cheaper product with an unfamiliar name that looks very much the same but whose 'quality' is unknown.
I encounter this just about every time I buy something.
A recent buy was a cheap Chinese orbital sander that sold for 1/3 of the price of the Bosch I went in to get. The salesman said "Take it home and give it hell - if it fails we'll just give you a new one, no questions asked". I did and it is still going fine. If I was a tradesman however, I would probably go for the Bosch - but maybe I'd be foolin' myself.
I really don't know the answer. When you take decent wages out of the production equation, you can sell a product awfully cheap.
Don't see any Chinese cars in the picture anytime soon, however.

[hks_kansei]

Don't see any Chinese cars in the picture anytime soon, however.

Chinese cars are an interesting one.

I remember when Chery came to Australia there was a HUGE amount of people (inlcuding this forum) shitcanning them. And rightfully so, they're hideous little rotboxes.

But, I can certainly understand why people bought them.

The J1 for example is about $8,000

Which is damn cheap for a NEW car, the alternative is a secondhand car, a 2009 Mazda2 with 100,000km on the clock is still $9,000-$10,000 (quick carsales look)



While the Mazda is a hell of a lot better made, I can 100% understand why some people would pick the Chery. Used cars come with risk, there's no warranty, risk of it being abused, etc.

With a new car, buy it, drive it, when something breaks let the dealer handle it.

For people who don't really care about cars, who just want transport with the least hassle, I understand their reasons.




Hell, I'd buy a Chery if I just wanted a runabout car that can get dented and sh*t.