Fake ARP bolts

[Lyndon302]

I am asking if anyone has ever heard of or come across ARP fake bolts. I have just cancelled some flywheel bolts as I smelt a rat.
I'm in Australia and they were on eBay
Lyndon

[Geronimo '74]

Post a link to the add.

Never heard of it before, but that doesn't mean it's not possible.

[Lyndon302]

I'm not really happy to post the link as I'm not sure if they are real or not.. They were in stock there in Aust. Anyway 2 weeks later I got in touch and was told they are another 2 weeks away from being in stock. So by the time I get them they are 5 weeks away. So I rang them and they are a Chinese out fit. This seems strange as they informed me they deal direct with ARP and are on order. It takes me about 5 days to get stuff ex USA to my door here in Australia. I'm just find it odd . So I canceled. On their site now I had a good look they don't even sell any other ARP stuff which seems odd if they have an account with ARP.
Lyndon

[Geronimo '74]

Got it.
When in doubt, cancelling the order was a good idea.
There are plenty trustworthy vendors out there.
Make sure you order from them and you’ll be ok.
Might cost you a little bit more but you will get ease of mind.
Fake fasteners and stuff made from low grade steel are dificult to identify as a layman.
Not worth the risk IMO

[sc_rufctr]

Originally Posted by Lyndon302

I am asking if anyone has ever heard of or come across ARP fake bolts. I have just cancelled some flywheel bolts as I smelt a rat.
I'm in Australia and they were on eBay
Lyndon

It's certainly possible and more importantly, likely.

The Chinese right now are counterfeiting so much high end stuff it's fast becoming ridiculous.

Don't even think of buying any high end audio cables from a Chinese supplier. That seems to be the thing right now.
As always the safest way is to direct from the manufacturer.

Fake watches are old news but fake watches with cloned movements are new.
Sounds tempting but again avoid like the plague. Nothing but cheap rubbish.

[LIRS6]

3.2 Engine exploded!!

Read post #90

Jason

[Lyndon302]

https://www.thecounterfeitreport.com/product/486/Bolts.html

[manbridge 74]

ARP has some info about this on their site...

[juanbenae]

Originally Posted by Lyndon302

I'm not really happy to post the link as I'm not sure if they are real or not..

since your overall question was whether the product was legit or not im a bit puzzled by the statement above. there are some pretty experienced folks around here and you are asking them to make an assessment with one hand tied behind their back.

[phelix]

Originally Posted by juanbenae

since your overall question was whether the product was legit or not im a bit puzzled by the statement above. there are some pretty experienced folks around here and you are asking them to make an assessment with one hand tied behind their back.

To be fair to the OP his question was "I am asking if anyone has ever heard of or come across ARP fake bolts."

[HaroldMHedge]

I've not heard of fake ARP bolts. But if there is money to be made someone will do it.

On ARPs website they have a list of vendors you might want to check with down under.


https://arp-bolts.com/p/dealers.php

[Lyndon302]

That pretty much confirms it. There looks like one Australian distributor. I was told on the phone when they rang me they deal direct with and have an account with ARP. They are not the Australian distributor on the ARP website. So I will presume they are fake flywheel bolts for the the early 911 s until otherwise satisfied.
Lyndon

[T77911S]

i saw an article in hot rod magazine about fake parts, ARP bolts was one of them.

[l_turn9]

I've been in the parts business for 40 years or so and Counterfeit Fasteners have been a problem since the 70s that I know of. But trust in the comment by Harold when he said, "if there is money to be made someone will do it." I've seen that 1st hand in too many cases. Integrity means nothing anymore.

[juanbenae]

Originally Posted by phelix

To be fair to the OP his question was "I am asking if anyone has ever heard of or come across ARP fake bolts."

part of the benefit of this community is the information shared by it's members. if one has encountered possible fraud sharing it with the group is a valuable service. post a link, where's the harm? if it saves one guy from sourcing parts from a questionable source in the future it has been worth it IMO.

only to be fair of course.

[pmax]

Originally Posted by sc_rufctr

It's certainly possible and more importantly, likely.

The Chinese right now are counterfeiting so much high end stuff it's fast becoming ridiculous.

The problem is more insidious than just counterfeit goods. Even genuine products outsourced to factories in China can be subject to supplier hacks for additional profit. Does ARP make their stuff here ?

[l_turn9]

Part of the problem is that Chinese companies can make products that match the OEM specs perfectly. But the Buyer (large companies paying for runs of 1000's or 100,000's of a part) must watch them like hawks to make sure they observe the proper Quality Control procedures. Otherwise the producer will look for ways to cut corners and maximize profits, just like other company will. Like Reagan said, "Trust, but Verify."
The end user - people like you or me - who are buying a set of case thru-bolts or Clutch Fasteners, are pretty much at the mercy of the seller. It's especially important to use vendors who can be trusted to keep our interests in mind when sourcing parts. IOW, be VERY careful buying critical parts from sellers on eBay and Amazon. Not that you cannot find sellers with integrity at those places but you are more likely to get better value from a company like Porsche or Pelican when buying parts that might leave you with a basket full of parts instead of a 930 engine if a bolt breaks. IOW, buying strictly on the price of something might not end up happily.

[ian c2]

Originally Posted by pmax

The problem is more insidious than just counterfeit goods. Even genuine products outsourced to factories in China can be subject to supplier hacks for additional profit. Does ARP make their stuff here ?

AFAIK all around products are completely designed and made in the USA using materials sourced from the USA .
I read something that a few years ago they tried outsourcing internationally , but stopped .
If this is true or not I do not know .
From what I’ve read A lot of people manufacturing in China can have as stringent Qc as possible , but that does not stop the factory selling product that didn’t pass Qc inspection .

[l_turn9]

Right you are! At least as far as ARP is concerned, it looks like everything is done in-house - more is here: https://arp-bolts.com/p/manufacturing.php which should answer all questions about ARP. Unfortunately, ARP is a small part of the # of aftermarket part sold for Porsche (and I don't want to make the problem sound worse than it is), but we must ask ourselves if we are making the right decisions when buying parts.