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Counterfeit NGK spark plugs
- Thread starter N941WR
- Start date
SmilingJack
Well Known Member
Geez! I never thought we would be able to call these things ?Counterfeit Aviation Parts?!
Thanks for the heads up Bill.
Thanks for the heads up Bill.
Funny, when the Russians copied the Westinghouse valves from the first nuclear powered subs, they had "Westinghouse" in the castings. Orders are orders.
Humor aside, counterfeit parts are a serious commercial problem.
Thanks for the heads up Bill. In your research, was there any indication for concern on Tempest or Champion plugs for aviation?
Humor aside, counterfeit parts are a serious commercial problem.
Thanks for the heads up Bill. In your research, was there any indication for concern on Tempest or Champion plugs for aviation?
Toobuilder
Well Known Member
Thanks for the heads up Bill. I generally buy these dozens at a time since all my airplanes have them; recently when doing the pre install ohm check, I found one that fell outside the generally very tight 4k reading I've come to expect. I set that one aside and continued on until I had my matched set of 12 for the Rocket. I went back and found 3 more that matched the one "off spec" unit... I'll have to see if I still have them and check for the counterfeit. Side by side they looked identical however.
N941WR
Legacy Member
I was only searching for NGK's, so I have no idea about any other counterfeits.
I can see someone in China cranking out imitation iPhones, but a $2 spark plug? How can that be worth the effort?
Also, any idea where these have been discovered? I'm curious whether NGK is addressing something you're likely to run into in stores in the US with reputable supply chain logistics, or if they've been found lighting motorcycles in Uganda...
Also, any idea where these have been discovered? I'm curious whether NGK is addressing something you're likely to run into in stores in the US with reputable supply chain logistics, or if they've been found lighting motorcycles in Uganda...
FasGlas
Well Known Member
The Chinese counterfeit everything!!! Sunglasses, shaver blades, electronics, spark plugs, EVERYTHING!!. About 10+ years ago there was a prop shop in SoCal that was installing counterfeit parts.. YES, counterfeit parts!! They got away with it until the blades came off a Travelair and killed some folks, one of which owned the Cessna dealership at Cable airport. The FAA shut them down, the owner fled back to his home country and an emergency AD was released grounding ALL aircraft that had a prop worked on by this shop. They all had to be overhauled again. Buyer beware...
FasGlas
Well Known Member
You will find counterfeit products all over Amazon, Ebay and everywhere on the net. Brick and Mortar stores would be less likely to stock counterfeit products but they buy from the jobbers and they buy from the importers.... So, there's no 100% what you're buying.
and...
Don't forget the counterfeit razor blades, especially Gillette Fusion blades. Do a search to find out how to spot the fakes, before you cut the heck out of your face.
Remember, if it seems too good to be true, it probably is...
Don't forget the counterfeit razor blades, especially Gillette Fusion blades. Do a search to find out how to spot the fakes, before you cut the heck out of your face.
Remember, if it seems too good to be true, it probably is...
****
I of course know the adage, too good to be true. BUT, on cheap auto plugs... I just never thought there would be enough money in the equation to make it worth it. Shows how naive I am. I throw mine away at annual and to date have not OHM checked them before install. I sure will now. And a close visual inspection for signs of counterfeiting.
I recently watched a detailed video on Rolex copies. It was clear that it just about took a very experienced jeweler to spot the tiny changes. A layman would not have much chance.
I of course know the adage, too good to be true. BUT, on cheap auto plugs... I just never thought there would be enough money in the equation to make it worth it. Shows how naive I am. I throw mine away at annual and to date have not OHM checked them before install. I sure will now. And a close visual inspection for signs of counterfeiting.
I recently watched a detailed video on Rolex copies. It was clear that it just about took a very experienced jeweler to spot the tiny changes. A layman would not have much chance.
I flew for an airline "over there" for 2 years. They copy everything. The state runs all cigarette production. They sell the cheapest cigarettes in the world, and some of the most expensive. And somebody makes fake copies of both. How much money is there in a 25c pack of cigarettes?
Fake parts are a problem in both the military and 121 world as well. Scary.
I got scammed on Amazon a couple of months ago. I found a US company advertising carbon/kevlar hybrid cloth for half of what the going rate was. Sounded to good to be true. And it was. It was some kind of cheap synthetic cloth.
Fake parts are a problem in both the military and 121 world as well. Scary.
I got scammed on Amazon a couple of months ago. I found a US company advertising carbon/kevlar hybrid cloth for half of what the going rate was. Sounded to good to be true. And it was. It was some kind of cheap synthetic cloth.
Unless they are NOS parts, low price on anything you see probably means it's not genuine. Buy from reputable sources or directly from the OEM (some now have retail direct buy due to the counterfeiting problem).
I've seen Walbro, Bosch, Denso Siemens, Huco, Hitachi, MSD copies, cheap and total junk. Some copies are hard to detect, others pretty easy if you are familiar with what the original stuff looked like.
On Ebay, they don't tolerate fake goods and you can get returns on these and probably have the vendor shut down by reporting them. You'll often see terms "xx like" or "xx compatible" or they will use an OEM part number. Real stuff will usually use the word "genuine" in the description. Use caution if your parts are shipping from the east but your brand is from the west.
Some people will go as far as forging stamped trademarks on the parts and logos on the packaging.
I've seen Walbro, Bosch, Denso Siemens, Huco, Hitachi, MSD copies, cheap and total junk. Some copies are hard to detect, others pretty easy if you are familiar with what the original stuff looked like.
On Ebay, they don't tolerate fake goods and you can get returns on these and probably have the vendor shut down by reporting them. You'll often see terms "xx like" or "xx compatible" or they will use an OEM part number. Real stuff will usually use the word "genuine" in the description. Use caution if your parts are shipping from the east but your brand is from the west.
Some people will go as far as forging stamped trademarks on the parts and logos on the packaging.
I think the last couple of times I went to buy NGKs, the best price I found was from NGK directly. Pretty sure they know where their sparkplugs come from.
I don't think there is a direct sales site.
This one...
https://www.ngk.com
...is a distributor also known as www.sparkplugs.com
The company I work for has a major problem with counterfeit product. Because of this I've all but stopped buying things off Ebay as the problem is widespread on there.
When dealing with Amazon you have to look closely to see if it says "shipped from and sold by Amazon". If so, you're likely ok as Amazon only deals with reputable suppliers when selling things under their name as opposed to just acting as a marketplace. If it says "Sold by Biff's Discount Air Parts" buyer beware.
Also, if the price seems too good to be true or way less then any others that's another warning sign.
When dealing with Amazon you have to look closely to see if it says "shipped from and sold by Amazon". If so, you're likely ok as Amazon only deals with reputable suppliers when selling things under their name as opposed to just acting as a marketplace. If it says "Sold by Biff's Discount Air Parts" buyer beware.
Also, if the price seems too good to be true or way less then any others that's another warning sign.
LOL
in college I had a roommate that raced dirt bikes. I tagged along one time to watch. before a race he decided to change the spark plug. he pulled out an old Champion that had been scraped clean with a pocket knife a few times and the center electrode was almost hemispherical. He put in a brand new NGK of the same heat range, correctly gapped. Bike would not start. 5 minutes of jumping on the kick starter and no luck. He put the old Champion back in and it started on first kick.
I swore I would never use an NGK and have not to this day. I do have Denso's in the RV-8....theyre probably no different.
I received a counterfeit Blue Sea fuse block from eBay.
The packaging was off, but the wrong size terminal screws confirmed it.
The interesting (to me) part was when I called tech-support at Blue Sea. I was speaking with the engineer and he was talking about counterfeits and dubious quality.
He said they have to continuously monitor quality as it’s so easy to have problems with suppliers/vendors/etc. For example, he mentioned copper fuse contacts not being tempered properly and being far too soft.
Reminded me why I stay away from generic offbrand components for aircraft and other important applications. And to stick mostly with products sold by Amazon itself (not 3rd parties). The tech mentioned that they sell lots of product directly to Amazon.
The packaging was off, but the wrong size terminal screws confirmed it.
The interesting (to me) part was when I called tech-support at Blue Sea. I was speaking with the engineer and he was talking about counterfeits and dubious quality.
He said they have to continuously monitor quality as it’s so easy to have problems with suppliers/vendors/etc. For example, he mentioned copper fuse contacts not being tempered properly and being far too soft.
Reminded me why I stay away from generic offbrand components for aircraft and other important applications. And to stick mostly with products sold by Amazon itself (not 3rd parties). The tech mentioned that they sell lots of product directly to Amazon.
This is a pretty good video on how to spot counterfit plugs.While doing some research, I ran across this. You can bet I'll be checking my next batch of spark plugs.
I think I read recently that Amazon co-mingles stock. So items that they purchased, and those provided by 3rd party sellers are treated interchangeably? From what I have read, be sure you are buying from a supplier that is stated by NGK to be a distributor.
[Yup, I've been bitten by fake NGK plugs from an Amazon 3rd party]
Interesting. Google (Gemini) still your friend. But not surprisingly, Amazon is aware of the problem and looks like they’re addressing it, so likely a higher probability of getting genuine product going forward
Confirmation of Stock Interchangeability
My research confirms the user's statement is historically accurate: Amazon did explicitly commingle stock. The commingling, or 'stickerless inventory,' system pooled identical products from various third-party FBA sellers and, critically, from Amazon's own retail stock (1P). This practice ensured interchangeability, meaning a customer who bought an item listed by a third-party seller could receive a unit from Amazon Retail's inventory, or vice versa, based on which item was closest for faster fulfillment.
The End of the Controversial Policy
The most significant finding is the current status of the policy. At the Accelerate 2025 conference, Amazon announced it is phasing out the commingling program entirely, largely due to the years of controversy, brand complaints (including actions taken by brands like Nike and Johnson & Johnson), and the high cost associated with managing counterfeit and quality control risks. The system's benefits for speed and cost efficiency were reportedly diminished as Amazon's fulfillment network matured.
New Mandatory Labeling Requirements
The transition means that all sellers will be required to use unique Fulfillment Network Stock Keeping Unit (FN-SKU) stickers on their products, moving away from tracking solely by the manufacturer's UPC barcode. This change, expected to be completed by the end of 2025, will restore traceability, tying each unit back to the specific seller wh
