The Garage 282

21 FOCUS Counterfeit Automotive Parts
HOW TO SLAY THE DRAGON
THAT IS
COUNTERFEIT PARTS
The Garage speaks to the IGA’s Terry Gibson
THE ISSUE of counterfeit
products is
an age-old problem
that has raised
its head down the
decades. It’s not uncommon
to travel the world and
pick up a perceived bargain
from a famous brand,
only to discover that it’s not
quite what you thought or
expected it was.
In other words if you have
bought some clothing or
footwear, although disappointing
to find all is not
what it should be, it is
something that won’t have
a lasting effect on your life,
apart from a dent in your
wallet. But vehicle parts is a
different matter entirely.
Unfortunately, greed and
the blatant disregard for
people’s wellbeing have
driven this issue to new
heights.
The general public need to
be aware of just how dangerous
this problem is for
their own safety and the
safety of others.
The scale of the problem is
growing on an almost daily
basis. Throughout the UK,
counterfeit parts are being
seized with greater regularity,
and many industry experts
predict that the value
of the market runs into billions
of pounds.
This is a worrying trend but
is often perceived as a victimless
crime, with many
consumers unaware of the
risks associated with these
types of products and the
risks they pose to drivers
and the public at large.
Terry Gibson, the IGA’s
(Independent Garage Association)
Head of Member
Services is concerned about
not only the safety element
to the general public, but
the liability placed on garages
who have come into
contact with this issue.
Terry explained that more
and more IGA garage members
are experiencing customers
bringing parts for
their cars that they have
sourced themselves, and
are expecting the garages to
fit them for services.
This is a huge problem that
is facing garages on a daily
basis, Gibson says. How
do the garages know that
the parts being handed to
them are correct, right for
that particular car and of
suitable quality? If the garage
has sourced the part
to repair a car, the garage
is responsible for the job
from start to finish. The garage
will happily accept responsibility
for their labour
and for the work they have
carried out, but cannot deal
with the guarantee of a part
that has been supplied by a
customer.
Gibson adds that there are
a number of ways in which
consumers can buy parts
today, other than from a
motor factor. Online purchasing
is a well-recognised
platform for this and an
area where the provenance
of parts can be questionable.
It’s difficult to determine
when purchasing
products online if the parts
inside are genuine even if
they are described as genuine.
Stuart James CEO of the
Independent Garage Association
says: “Consumers
are leaving themselves
vulnerable by buying parts
online. If the integrity of
the part is questionable it
can have dangerous consequences
for the car. We
would strongly urge consumers
to allow garages to
do the full job and provide
the correct warranty and
service back-up that they
do best.”
In July, the Government
launched its counterfeit vehicle
parts awareness campaign.
This is the most extensive
campaign of its kind
and has brought together
some of the industry’s titans
to highlight the dangers
posed by this issue.
The IGA has worked closely
with The Intellectual Property
Office (IPO), producing
a video and a poster,
and will continue to raise
awareness about the risk of
consumer supplied parts.
The supply chain has a variety
of ways in which it can
track parts back to their
source. The cross-company
initiative MAPP code is being
used by a number of
well know suppliers within
the industry.
The MAPP code provides
garages, wholesalers, customers
etc with a simple
way to check the authenticity
of the product. By capturing
the MAPP code, via,
PC or a mobile phone, you
can then send the image for
verification. The code will
be checked and the result
will be sent to you via text
message.
The results will provide an
indication of whether the
part is genuine or not. If it’s
found the response is negative,
workshops can then
send a counterfeit report to
the manufacturer who can
then take additional steps
regarding this product.
Counterfeit parts cause
substantial damage to the
automotive business and
the economy. Genuine parts
manufacturers spend vast
amounts of time and substantial
amounts of money
developing products that
are safe AND ensuring
complete compliance with
all necessary regulatory requirements.
The plain truth is, counterfeiters
operate outside the
law and blatantly compromise
safety to cut corners.
They will provide, cheap
imitation goods and at no
time attach any importance
to safety as genuine manufacturers
do. It really does
come down to the simple
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