Car Safety Trap !

The chances of surviving a car accident improve exponentially if you are driving the current model because the effort to improve car safety features is relentless.  Astronomical sums are expended on research and development and the modern car has crumple zones that absorb the energy of a crash in a predictable way, saving the driver and passengers from harm.   These safety features even extend to victims who may be run down by the vehicle, and saving their lives is now a component in the crash tests that award "safety stars ".

Sadly, a lot of the progress made is being negated by a wave of counterfeit replacement parts flooding the market, and unscrupulous manufacturers are presenting them cloaked with what appear to be genuine car brand logos to deceive the public.   The biggest indication that a part is not genuine is usually the selling price.   If the asking price is a mere fraction of what you expect a genuine part to cost, then obviously you need to stop and think of the safety angle.

It seems that the counterfeiters have singled out Toyota as their primary target, probably because it's brand is at the apex of new car sales.  A host of car parts and accessories are packaged in what looks like the Toyota logo and the imitation is good enough to fool most people.   Fitting them to a car can have fatal consequences.

Many owners replace the steel wheel rims supplied with their car with Mag wheels, both for appearance and performance.   Unfortunately it has been found that the counterfeits on offer lack the strength of the real thing, and hitting a pothole at fifty kilometres an hour may cause the rim to shatter or develop cracks that later cause fatal failure at a much higher speed.    Once again the big difference between the counterfeit and the genuine article - is price !

Air bags are now an essential in a car crash.  They deploy at the sign of sudden deceleration and cushion the cars occupants from contact with hard  surfaces.  A single manufacturer serves many brands and a fault in manufacture means that they may fail to deploy in an accident.   We are now finding many replacements offering at discount prices are not only fakes, but incapable of providing any sort of protection in an emergency.

Now a new scam is doing the rounds.  In years past asbestos was the main ingredient in brake pads but this was replaced by law with a safer component because brake friction released asbestos fibres.
Counterfeit brake pads are entering the country and once again the bogey of asbestos - is back.  The danger is that with asbestos brake pads, every time a drive touches the brakes these fibres float free on city streets and may enter the lungs of pedestrians and other drivers.  In particular, car service people are at huge risk.   When they need to fit new pads they will encounter a cloud of asbestos dust that can lead to a later fatality.

Unfortunately, the opportunities to replace genuine parts with counterfeit - is almost limitless. Manufacturers who grind out cheap copies are putting the public at risk and the big incentive to move their wares - is price !   The wise will approach the matter of any spare parts needed for their car - with caution.   It is not the best time to find that a "bargain " has failed when you are doing  110  kph on the freeway with the family in the passenger seats.