Does This Sound Right?

[HHI944]

Originally Posted by gtc

I've wondered about that, also. I think they must have much cheaper international postage rates than us, though it seems like the USPS should have some agreement preventing that. I've bought some bike parts from Hong Kong, and the air freight is dirt cheap.
What model plugs were they?

Hong Kong and China both heavily subsidize shipping.

[rusnak]

Well. Actually if you ship out of China they charge what is called "local dock handling fee" or the like. It's the payola to the Chinese gov't. You have to pay them off. Your customs broker or shipper will build it into your overseas charge. It's a lot like the U.S. Customs and port fees here, but in reverse.

[wdfifteen]

Originally Posted by LeeH

Fake NGK Spark Plugs

Wow. Thanks. I think I'll order a set that I know are NGK. I don't want a spark plug coming apart in my engine.
I guess it's a $16 life lesson - cheap as life lessons go.

[Tobra]

Don't they have Vatozone near you where you can just go buy them?

[MBAtarga]

Originally Posted by rusnak

I buy around 2,000 pumpkin carving kits every year for $.35 each and sell them for $5.00 How is that possible?

I think I just found an opportunity to become an ebay vendor!

[rusnak]

Originally Posted by tobra

don't they have vatozone near you where you can just go buy them?

lol!

[LeeH]

Wait for them to come in. I'm guessing it will be easy to tell once you compare the spark plugs to the photos. Will be interesting to see what you get.

[zelrik911]

Originally Posted by Tobra

I used NGK plugs in my air cooled bug for several hundred thousand miles. Mechanic friend told me he liked them better than the Bosch many moons ago.

I have been using NGK sparkplugs (genuine ones) for nearly 50 years and they are consistently good. They are in my SC now.

Bosch plugs started to to be, sort of, unreliable about 15 years ago. Any sparkplug with an English name seems to be only made in India and is junk.

Beru is overpriced but just equivalent to real NGKs.

[wdfifteen]

The plugs arrived today, a little over 2 weeks since they were ordered. I googled "fake NGK spark plugs" and found a bunch of sites that showed how to distinguish the fakes from the real deal. Google even offered to help me buy fake spark plugs, in case mine turned out to be real!



By all indications, these are real.




The box has "spark plugs" written in Russian, something that is missing from the known bad ones.



I compared the plugs with a new one at Autozone. They have all the right markings in the right places, and the gasket is identical to the real ones. These are two areas they say are different on the fakes.
I think they're OK, but it's worth my peace of mind to buy some over the counter from a store I know and trust.