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The federal authorities of the United States are working on combating forged car parts that have been smuggled in this country. Part of it includes increasing the public awareness of the problem, the risks and how you can avoid falsified components for your vehicle.
Vanity plate gets a Lamborghini owner in trouble.
The National Intellectual Property Rights Coordination Center has been using the brakes on Fakes since the fall of 2024 to spread the word about this issue. That organization together with research into domestic safety, American customs and border protection, automotive anti-counterfeiting counter and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration wants consumers to know that buying fake car parts is risky.
For example, false airbaginflators have exploded, the shrapnel that were heavily injured or even killing innocent. False wheels are shaved, catastrophic failure on cars. Some counterfeit components have caused damage to vehicles, which means that owners cost financially.
Last year, CBP seized more than 200,000 counterfeit car components, almost doubled, which was seized in 2023. Imagine all the products that the government agency did not catch.
False parts are not made on the same standards as the brand name they wear. Intensee owners of cars can think that they get a real part for their vehicle, while in fact they get something inferior that might wear out faster or fails catastrophic, which causes a serious accident.
According to the National Coordination Center for Intellectual Property Rights, there are a few ways to possibly buy counterfeit components. One is to have your vehicle repaired alone at renowned repair workshops or dealer service departments. This can cost extra, but it would be worthwhile not to risk a defective component.
Another is to prevent “too beautiful to be” for car parts. That is usually a sign of fraud in general. You must also be careful when buying components for your ride on the internet, avoiding extremely cheap options or parts sending from other countries.
It is clear that some people are only about saving a dollar, so they continue to buy parts that may have been falsified. But only from a financial perspective can you cost more, and they can endanger your life.
Image via Cottonbro Studio/Pexels
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