Beware Phony Recaro SRDs

[MichiganMat]

I bought a set of (what I thought were) SRDs a few months ago through an off-ebay transaction for $800. When I got them in the mail I noticed a few things that made me scratch my head:

1. The fabric was rough, like nylon, and not the cotton feel of the other SRDs I've seen.
2. The recline mechanism used a handle rather than the "rotor" style Ive seen on other recaros.
3. There was no "flip forward" lever thingy on the side of the seats to gain access to the back seats.

The seats are black and they do have "RECARO" stitched in big white letters on the top of them, but I've come to believe that they are infact fake. I noticed this ebay auction jus a few days ago:


http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2442273654&category=33701

Overall, Im happy with the seats that I bought, they are definitely a step up from the ones I had. Unfortunately, though, I have to live with the thought of getting ripped off every time I sit in them. I could be wrong, the seats could be an older model before all the nifty features were added, I don't know for sure. I do know that I've learned yet another lesson for building cars: "You get what you pay for".

[RickM]

Mat,

Recaro NA is actually in Auburn Hills, MI.

According to Mike Hartung, the manufacturing/Warranty mgr there should be a tag at the bottom of the seat that has a serial #. It will read something like this...

"XXX.XX.XXX.AAA" (X denotes digits & A denote letters)

There will also be a date something like this: "2003 07 XXXX" (Xs denote production number for that model/year)

The SRDs could of had a reclining adjustment lever and may also have come without the dump lever.

[Schuey]

Matt, the auction says "like" guess that's where they get you...

[MichiganMat]

Thanks Rick! I'll take a look and see what mine say.

I didn't buy those seats, the ones on eBay. You can tell from the stiching in the back of the seat that they aren't original, they certainly don't look like the other SRDs I've seen atleast.

[JonT]

Nice looking seat for a decent price it looks like. Durability may be a question though.

[RickM]

And safety

[jakermc]

My SRDs have the seat flip thingy and the knob to recline the back - and these seats are old. They say Made in W. Germany.

[RickM]

I believe they're also made here.

[dotorg]

Ebay is way too risky to buy that sort of thing on these days, so much stuff is misrepresented and rip-off parts, especially where car stuff is concerned.

I've seen some moderate quality SRD look alikes at ricer stores around here in the $150/ea range... probably the seller bought a pair of those, stitched the recaro logo himself, and eBayed them.

Did you happen to pay with a credit card? You could get them involved, if so. Regardless of you liking them or not liking them, you got ripped off.

[geof33]

My new SRD's have a fabric similar to that of the cloth portion of velcro. A little stiffer though. Those red seats "resemble" SRD's kindof...

Shoot a pic of your seats, let's see them. Also, they may be a different style of recaro seat. Do a search and check some pics.

I paid just over a grand for mine plus shipping.

[techweenie]

When you buy "SRD like.." seats, that's what you get.

I bought "Sparco Torino like..." seats and they were $280 for the pair, including brackets. Took weeks for the formaldehyde smell to evaporate from them (China has some pretty lax environmental laws), but they are just fine as street-use seats.

[MichiganMat]

I didn't use credit card, used paypal. I don't know if theres anything I can do here, but Im open to suggestions. Anyone got any advice for me here?



Techweenie: funny you should say about the smell of your fake Sparcos, mine wer pretty stinky when I got them too.

[MichiganMat]

Heres a side shot:

[1fastredsc]

They still look pretty good though. Sorry about the rip off.

[TurboRuf]

MichiganMat,

Yeah... not real Recaro's from the photos you posted.

[Joe Bob]

BTW....does Recaro do a recover program? Mine are getting worn.....

[geof33]

Dude, sorry for the money spent!!! Definately NOT recaro's. I'd call foul and try to get your $$ back, or at least half back from the seller. If they were indeed listed as real then your talking fraud. Not to mention brand ID theft. To use those in your car with that badge is technically illegal. Whatever. But if the dude you purchased these from is marketing them as genuine you need to get ebay involved and get the dealer smacked up. Trademark fraud is a seriously bad business. If a trademark is used but it's listed as NOT genuine it's still a problem, but I have a tad more respect for these people. There are some REALLY nice floor mats avail on ebay with a sweet embroidered crest. Totally illegal, but they look very nice. Do you buy them? Tough call. If Porsche gets a hold of him he's done....

[MichiganMat]

The seller hasnt returned my emails so here is his personal information: The sellers name is Juan Vallejo, he is 18 years old, and he lives in Valencia CA. His email address is cha0sX@aol.com, his AIM account is n0usef0aname. There are two Vallejo families that live in Velencia, I have to assume that he lives with his parents. I will be contacting them later tonight. Maybe they will be able to convince him that fraud isn't a good thing.

[RickM]

Mat, Didi you look under your seat for tags?

[MichiganMat]

yup, nothing. The only "recaro" lettering on the seat is embroidered on the head-rests. There are no tags of anykind underneath the seat.