This is the world we live in

Beware ordering OEM from fleabay, damazon or other discount auto sites. I was shopping for an OEM water pump for my Land Cruiser and was shocked at how many knock offs were actually out there posing as OEM. One site showed the 'Toyota' engraving on the casting had been ground off and an Aisin sticker was on stuck in its place. Was it a rebuild, or a knock off? I dunno but for a critical part, do your homework. This vid shows an OEM packaging comparison:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aeqYIt1x7Jw

 

Wow, looks like every part I've ever stuck in any of my Honda motorcycles has been a fake. They always seem to do just fine though. Usually not too big of an issue with motorcycles but I def wouldn't want to be using any counterfeit parts for my truck.

 

I find it hard to believe there's enough profit to be had on making fake oil filters. The real one is $4. After setting up machines, assembly lines, packaging etc. there just isn't much profit left.
I ordered a H2O pump like you described. I compared it to the factory one I took off my FZJ80 & they were absolutely identical, except the Toyota was ground smooth. Got it for 50% off Toyota price.

 

I'm not saying they are fake, not saying they aren't fake. My post was for awareness. I've added similar parts to both my Toyotas, but I can't gamble on water pump bearings failing at worst possible time when it's a critical component, and it's a lot of work to replace a water pump in the field. Castings may be same, maybe bearings are too. This was just an FYI for folks to know what's up. The decision ultimately falls with the buyer.

 

Yerp, i got a knockoff 14 dollar MAF sensor when naper wanted like 149.00. I got 2 rear wheel abs speed sensors for 16.00 instead of 447.00 at toyota. Installed em like 7 months ago, still working fine. I saved around 700 dollars not buying some of this oem shit that china can pound out for pennies. I think personally its a fuckin robbery at some places to repair my vehicle and its sad really. No other explanation other than, what a sad situation to pay that kind of money for a magnet and 2 dinky little wires comin out of an abs sensor for chrisssakes wtf? Still goin strong and running better than the condition it was in when I bought it.

 

Plenty of profit to be made in the China assembly lines.

You have to remember that some (many?) of these Chinese manufacturers will run the assembly line to produce the part for the OEM from 8 til 5. By 5:30, all the OEM badging gets removed and the line starts back up making the same part without the logo, to be sold to who knows how many aftermarket vendors.

The OEMs know this is taking place yet continue to keep manufacturing there. The only way to avoid it is to build your own factory there, and even then it probably happens to some extent.

 

At least maybe with an oil filter you can look inside and see the debris, or metal shavings, or maybe check out the oil particulate fluid paper. On the other hand, say a 250cc lifan motorcycle engine with that past due technology, there could be a chance someone left a nut in the head or in the oil pan due to quick manufacturing. What isn't made in china anymore. I wish there was more of a grading system to grade the manufacturing from 1 to 10 or some crap like that to reassure a buyer, besides a review could be bought and paid for too, as well as lied about Id venture to guess.

 

Take even a Tpms tire pressure monitor on a rim. Weve got a 2007 avalon, all i got is a blinking light on the dash. But look how the manufactured engineered redundancy of customer return because I cant tell which one is bad due to not having a tpms scan tool to figure out which sensor is bad or missing a battery on a so called "safety item", now as a consumer, I think thats bad business in itself when they lie and say theyre the only ones with a tool to check the rims and tell me which one is bad. Or else i gotta buy a 50 dollar tool and a 50 dollar part to regain the operability. I think thats shameful in a way as a buyer and should be a warranted and a servicable part in a way. I had a 2003 benz, and a 2008 bmw that showed each tires psi on the dash, but not even a 2008 lexus es350 had that feature. Just a frickin blinkin light.

But ya a water pump which is a bitch to get at, ya no I see no savings there for a 600 to 1000 dollar repair is kinda nuts in itself with these damn prices of labor skyrocketing out of control.

 

You know, i wish an engineer these days didnt have to succomb to servicability of these critical parts to keep the customer coming back to the dealer, and providing a profit outside of the part itself, and a guy or girl could keep thier job without the threat of losing thier job for these suns a bitches due to extra money theyre not entitled to from me purchasing thier vehicle or item.

 

My wife's 2012 RAV4 Limited was like this. TPMS error only showed a light in the dash.

I updated her head unit to a Pioneer Avic with the Maestro interface to keep the steering wheel controls and voila! The Pioneer head unit showed exactly which TPMS was low.

So the capability is there, the manufacturer is just too cheap to provide that information to the customer. The dealer gets a nice profit to take a quick look and see which one it is.

 

Yes im sure you can interface outside obd2 designed hardware to get a look at the bcm, ecu, i use the torque app and some other ones like blue drive or somethin like that with a bluetooth adapter, but outside of that, I still had to purchase the adapter, and use a phone, besides doing that or buying a dedicated scanner, or like you suggest maestro, I would like the oem manufacturer to conduct the symphony and include this in thier systems off the bat, sorry to derail the thread please excuse me whoa sorry too much coffee today, but it said this is the world we live in and not specifically about oil filters sorry guys.

But ya thats what i mean, engineered redumbdantcy to get you to the dealer